Hamlet Above the Fountain

About this place

Declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Ethnological Site, 2015. The name of this hamlet derives from its location above the Fuente del Lugar (Fountain of the Place), a water supply point near the royal road that connects with the Camino de Chasna, the most important communication artery between the north and south of the island. This location facilitated the settlement of the first human group in the area, which later gave rise to the initial nucleus of La Granadilla. Its founding has been historically attributed to the Portuguese Gonzalo González Zarço in the first half of the 16th century. The buildings that are currently preserved date with certainty from the turn of the 20th century, although, considering the common practice in our traditional architecture of reusing and restoring building units and materials, their chronology could very likely be traced back to the 18th century. The hamlet comprises several single-story, rectangular houses with single- and double-pitched Arabic tile roofs, as well as outbuildings such as stables, tool sheds, farmhands' quarters, and others. The buildings are arranged along both sides of a cobbled path, serving as the main street. Among the structures, a larger building stands out, used as a granary. Attached to one of the houses is a fruit-drying oven. Other infrastructure includes various drying racks for fruit, especially figs, both prickly and milk figs. The hamlet is surrounded by terraces and embankments, cultivated using the traditional sand-based farming method, which facilitated the growth of traditional crops in this arid region.