Municipios, contiene información sobre los pueblos de Tenerife. Su historia, lugares de interés para visitar, etc. Todo pensado para que puedas planificar tus vacaciones y tiempo libre, disfrutando de todo y sin perderte nada.

Boroughs, it contains information about towns in Tenerife. Its history, places of interest to visit, etc. All geared so that you can plan your holidays and free time, enjoying it all and without missing a thing.

What is now the Town of Los Silos was founded in the territory of the pre-Hispanic kingdom of Daute, located in the north-west angle of Tenerife. Although the Tow´s founding act is not documented, the origin of Los Silos is closely linked to Portuguese land-owner Gonzalo Yanes, who owned local land from the late 15th  century on, although the name of  Los Silos appears for the first time in a royal charter dated 1509. The origin of this nomenclature refers to the three cereal deposits built by Gonzalo Yanes, who was also in charge of the old Daute mill, rented from the captain general, Alonso Fernández de Lugo, located on the Los Silos coast, with a chiminy stack that continues to stand as living testimony of the past. From 1502 on, the population experienced rapid growth thanks to the increasing importance of Garachico's port. In mid-century, the population of Los Silos totalled a hundred inhabitants.

In 1883, telegraphic communications were established between Tenerife and the island of La Palma by installing an underwater cable. By this stage of the 19th century, the first steps had been taken to build a road to link Garachico, Los Silos and Buenavista, and it was completed in the second decade of the following century.
In the early 20th century, Los Silos witnessed two events that marked both its history and its appereance. On the one hand, on July 28, 1921, a Royal Decree issued by the Home Office officially granted municipality status to Los Silos. On the other hand, the arrival of Valladolid-born architect Mariano Estanga, who was greatly involved in the urban renovation of the Canary Islands, heralded the introduction of modernism into local architecture. He started by restructuring Plaza de La Luz, surronding it with walls and installing a bandstand and a kiosk in the centre, similar to art nouveau style, with two floors and an octogonal shape, designed by Domingo Pisaca y Burgada. At the same time, a series of public work projects were undertaken in order to modernise and fit out the borough. The streets in the centre are cobbled and new roads are built to absorb the urban growth that the municipality was experiencing.

The borough, which borders in the west with Buenavista, in the east with Garachico and El Tanque and in the south with Santiago del Teide, spreads from the Puerto de Erjos (pass), at an altitude of 3600 feet, to the Atlantic Ocean and has a total surface area of 24,23 Km2.

The borough has always focused on farming. There were also large pieces of land used for sugar cane crops, as shown by the presence of several sugar cane mills. These two crops co-exist in the 16th and 17th centuries, together with vineyards.

The services sector came into its own in the 70's related to the tourist enclave at Sibora, where the Municipal Swimmingpools are located and where apartment,  a four starts Hotel Luz del Mar and other buildings have proliferated.
Nonetheless, bananas, vines, vegetables and dry land fruit trees continue to be the focal point's of the borough's economy.

The old town centre starts at Plaza de La Luz, with a kiosk dating from the early 20th century. The square is surrounded by the Town Hall, the restored ex-Convent of St. Sebastian, and the Church of Ntra Sra de La Luz.

By the Icod- Buenavista road we find the San Bernardo district, which has experienced a rapid growth in the last few years and forms part of the boroughs of Los Silos and Buenavista.

The San José or Las Manzanillas district is close to the coast and a throughway to the tourist enclaves. It is near to two other districts, Aregume and Fátima.
On the Los Silos coast lies the Puertito natural site, where the Municpal Swimmingpools are located, in the vicinity of Charco de la Araña and Agua Dulce Beach.

Half way between Los Silos and Garachico is the La Caleta de Interian district, the administration of which depends on the two boroughs.
In the middle of the borough is the La Tierra del Trigo district which, as its name indicates, was originally centred on cereals. In its vivinity is the hamlet Caserío de la Juncia. Finally, at an altitude over 3000 feet, we find Erjos, which is administered by the boroughs of Los Silos and El Tanque.

Art, culture and tradition

In September, 1568 the inhabitants of Los Silos decided to build a church in honour of the Virgin of the Light. Four “Doublas” (currency of that time), were set aside each year for its maintenance and decoration by two local landowners, Melchor Filguera and Amador Gil. The church was completed in 1570. it comprised a singe nave with a wooden roof and a main chapel.

In September, 1605, the neighbours were able to elevate the church to parish category and cut off its links with the Buenavista church, providing new work was undertaken: the instalation of a choir, which was rapidily completed by master Vargas, in charge of the masonry work, and carpenter Juan Jordán; and enlargement of the main chapel, which did not start until 20 years later.
1629 saw the start of the construction of a new stone arch and seating by master stonemason Juan Rivero.

Some doors were also made, together with a new coffered ceiling. In 1680 the arch of the main chapel was reformed again, on two Tuscan half columms. The churches cruciform shape, as it is today, was completed with the construction of two side chapels, Capilla de la Misericordia and Capilla del Corazón de Jesús.
The most outstanding aspect of the Chapel Capilla de la Misericordia (to the right of the nave), completed in 1641, is coffered ceiling comprising eight skirting panels with wooden grill panels. It has also a richly engrave conical-shaped pinnacle in the centre. The Corazón de Jesús, which also dates from the 17th century, is simetrical to the former (to the left of the nave) and presents a more modest coffered truss rafter ceiling.

The chamber of the Virgin ( a room connected to the niche where the Virgin was placed) was built in the second half of the 18th century on a device created at the start of the century, and the only one of its kind in the Canary Islands, which elevates the Virgin. The sacristy was built beneath this chamber. In the 1920's, the church was subject to a mayor reform by architect Mariano Estanga, substantially altering the facade by superimposing a new one with a central tower over an attic, flanked by another two towers, slightly set back, in neo-Gothic style.
All that remains of the primitive church is a stonework door on the north side, with an arch over Tuscan pillars. All that remains of the coffered ceiling are the six tie beams braces adorned with geometri ribbon desings. The main Chapel ceiling, of rectangular plan, still maintains the original structure with a beautiful symmetrical chess-board effect.

The restoration of the church was completed in september, 2001 and we can now see the splendid coffered ceiling, on new timber of extraordinary quality and excellent craftsmanship.

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Información proporcionada por la oficina de turismo de Los Silos. A los que estamos muy agradecidos por toda la información que nos han facilitado y por la atención prestada.