Santa Brigida

In the Atalaya de Santa Brígida an ancient aboriginal cave village was located, these caves were excavated in the rock and have the qualification of habitat Troglodita and that nowadays some are still inhabited. From The Watchtower Santa Brígida is located in an area from where it is possible to see the Barranco de Las Goteras, formerly known as Barranco del Gamonal, that once was a place of vigilance and defense. In these caves lived the first settlers of the Santa Brígida population, but with the passage of time, far from abandoning these dwellings they were being occupied by other inhabitants. The caves that are located in the Santa Brígida Watchtower served so that more than 200 families not only lived here, but it was a center of artisan tradition where different trades were worked, perhaps the one that stood out the most was the pottery. The good situation of the Atalaya of Santa Brígida has served to inhabit from the first aborigines, passing by craftsmen during the beginning of the 20th century to the present that some inhabited caves are still found .

The archaeological site of the Cueva de la Angostura is gaining more prestige as an archaeological site. Since the end of the 2000s, revitalization has been outstanding, firstly because of the enormous pre-Hispanic legacy that has been found and, secondly, and as a consequence of these findings, because it has been declared Good of Interest Culture . The Cueva de la Angostura is on the left side of the Barranco de Guiniguada and occupies the middle and upper part of the whole slope at an altitude of around 350 450 meters above sea level. The cave is part of another group of both natural and artificial caves in this part that belongs to the town of Santa Brígida, and had different functions, some were houses, other cameras Funerals and other religious utilities. The caves have different morphologies, some are divided into different rooms, others have cupboards and shelves dug into the rock itself, in others you can find different cups etc. It is also possible to find some cave manifestations in the caves as in the funeral spaces. The Cueva de la Angostura keeps an important legacy that shows the importance of this place for centuries.

The Caldera de Bandama is part of the municipal district of Santa Brígida, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The routes that run through this natural landscape are fantastic and go through the ravines of Las Goteras and Guiniguada to the east coast. The Caldera was formed approximately five thousand million years ago next to the Bandama volcano, it is about 216 meters deep, 574 meters high and about a thousand meters in diameter. Not only does it have an important geological value, it also stands out as an archaeological site since the Cueva de los Canarios can be found, where the first inhabitants of the island stored the crops and food. The Caldera de Bandama. that owes its name to a well-known Flemish merchant surnamed Van Damme, crosses the Cornical viewpoint, continues through the Casas del Fondo, the cave of the Bodegas, the pond of El Culatrón and the crossing of the three stones. In the area you can see plants such as the white tajinaste and the wild olive as well as birds such as the kestrel, the capirote and other native birds.

The Historic District of Santa Brígida is the main attraction of the population, its streets and houses marry in perfect harmony resulting in a wonderful environment. Of the elements to be highlighted within the historic center, it is worth highlighting the large number of well-preserved historical elements: Castellar Street, Muro Street, Historiador Morales Street, Calle de Medio, Calvario Street, Calle Fermín Monzón, Calle Tenderete among others they have served the village so that in 2010 it was declared Asset of Cultural Interest. It is important to highlight, for example, the pavement of the Castelar street, which has an important historical character. With regard to the buildings there are some important as the church that was built from a tower of the sixteenth century, this tower is what was left after the old temple was destroyed in a fire. Because of this, the church was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century. Another interesting building is the Ayuntamiento de la Villa, another one of those landmark buildings in the old town that must be mentioned. El Calvario is a construction in stonework with three crosses and it is located in the image of the Passion of Christ, it is also The Casino, the Fonda Melián or La Alcantarilla, built in 1913.

Santa Brígida has interesting natural landscapes of great scenic beauty, one of which is the Barranco Alonso. Throughout the Barranco Alonso can be made very interesting hiking trails, along the way you can see from some cobbled areas to a laundry where formerly washed clothes by hand. The Barranco Alonso also has areas of caves that were centuries ago troglodyte dwellings, later it was a refuge for the cattle of the farmers and shepherds who used it as corrals or warehouse, now some of these caves are inhabited and have bioclimatic conditions suitable for living. Perhaps one of the most important elements that can be found in the Barranco is a dragon, one of the few wild specimens on the island of Gran Canaria. It is estimated that it has an age of 210 years and is located in between the rocks of a steep wall, it was cited by Kunkel in 1972, it currently has about 15 ramifications. The ravine is also home to numerous kestrels, these birds usually eat small rodents, insects and other types of invertebrates. In short, the Barranco Alonso is a jewel to discover.

The hermitage of the Concepción de Santa Brígida is a small temple that is located very close to the neighborhood of La Atalaya, the area where this hermitage is located is also known as Altos de la Concepción. The hermitage is built in honor of Our Lady of the Conception and San Francisco de Paula and was designed by canon Luis Fernández de Vega in 1733 . The temple consists of a single square nave, on the facade of the hermitage you can see seven tombstones that correspond to victims who suffered cholera in the summer of 1851. With regard to the Hermitage itself, the walls are thick and made of blue catenary, like the ground, all this material taken from the quarry of Atalaya. The interiors of the time houses an incredible coffered ceiling made of wood of clear Mudejar style, together with the decoration of an old wooden pulpit and some images made of polychrome wood. The importance of this building has served to acquire the cataloging of Good of Cultural Interest in 1977. A simple building but of great value.

The I slas Canarias have a great wine tradition, even though it is an island, the large number of existing micro-climates means that different varieties of grapes are produced and that each zone produces its own broth. Santa Brígida is also an interesting wine destination within the island of Gran Canaria, the variety of white, red, young, fruity or aromatic wines is extensive and of great quality. To know more about the production of wine in the Santa Brigida area, you have La Casa del Vino de Gran Canaria, also Museo del Vino. This museum is located in a recently renovated building more than two centuries old, in which it is possible to taste the different varieties of wines from different points of the island. The Wine Museum offers a visit to the museum room that is the reproduction of a winery, it also has an exhibition room with panels with information about the vineyards of the island and finally has a shop where you can taste and Acquire some of the varieties available. Not only is it possible to taste wines, there is also an interesting variety of Canarian food, with cheeses with designation of origin.

Santa Brígida stands out very much for the natural places that surround the city, it is worth highlighting the Barranco de Angostura, a natural environment where nature is the protagonist, with some beautiful streams, a very interesting flora and some unforgettable hiking trails. In the 16th century the Angostura ravine sugar cane was cultivated, which gave rise to an important industry of cane and white sugar. The flora of the Barranco de Angostura is characterized by having areas of wild olive, to a lesser extent you can find mastic, it is possible to see also the natural forms of forest, acebuchales in Pino Santo, some palm trees of which we must highlight the one of Satautejo. La Angostura was in its time a much richer valley than it is today, the water ran freely through the bed of the ravine. It was one of the first roads that the aborigines created to climb from the coast, it is possible to find traces of these aborigines that inhabited the entire ravine in the past. The most interesting thing is that there are many caves excavated in rock, silos and sidewalks, the existence of these remains has made part of the Barranco de la Angostura is declared Well of Interest Culture.

El Centro Cultural de la Villa de Santa Brígida está situado en el antiguo cine, construido en 1949 y clausurado en los años 80. Reformado posteriormente como sala de fiestas, en la década de los 90 fue adquirirdo por el Ayuntamiento y transformado en una sala para eventos culturales.