Tobacco drying shed

About this place

Declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Ethnological Site in 2008, the Granadilla tobacco drying shed was built in 1878 by José García Torres, one of the most important tobacco growers in the Abona region. Its construction coincided with the rise of tobacco cultivation as an alternative to the cochineal crisis. Associated with one of the most deeply rooted traditional activities in the southern part of the island, its northern façade borders the old southern royal road, specifically the section between El Río and Granadilla. This adds significant value, representing this important centuries-old communication route that linked the main rural centers of the southern midlands. The former tobacco drying shed is a heritage and architectural gem of the southern region, now transformed into a large, multipurpose cultural space with a multi-use area. At the front of the building, which will be the main entrance, a plaza has been created as a resting area, and at the rear, in the former orchard, a patio and a viewpoint have been built so that visitors can enjoy the views of the Camino Real del Sur (Royal Road of the South). The Granadilla tobacco drying shed is a single-nave building with a gabled roof, shaped like a regular quadrilateral. The building is a true reflection of the importance that tobacco leaf exports held for the municipality and the region, but it also served other purposes throughout different periods, including as a theater and the town's cinema.