Local history and culture La Orotava

Founded at the beginning of the 16th century by the conquistadores, it is a pretty, quiet village with cobbled streets whose historic centre, casco antiguo , has remained practically unchanged since its creation. This is why it has been declared a monument of historical and artistic interest in its entirety. A stroll will allow you to enjoy the beautiful French gardens "Jardines del Marquesado de la Quinta Roja", wonderfully maintained, its botanical garden, flowered squares, and beautiful Castilian mansions. By pushing the heavy wooden doors, you will discover beautiful civil or religious buildings, as well as houses with balconies from the 17th and 18th centuries. You will see beautiful facades on the carretera del Escultor Estévez and a 16th century house on the plaza del Ayuntamiento. In the Plaza San Francisco and in Calle del Dr. González Garcia, the gofio mills date back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. To obtain this staple food inherited from the Guanches, today's Canary Islanders still grind corn, barley or wheat. Some of the mills are still in operation, but are now powered by electricity rather than water. The Town Hall, located in the Plaza Ayuntamiento, is a neoclassical building from the late 19th century. Behind the Church of the Concepción, Calle Colegio, which becomes Calle San Francisco, is a small, sloping alleyway that concentrates a string of superb Canarian mansions with facades adorned with richly sculpted balconies.