The Quintana House is an example of the ancient architecture of the municipality of Guia de Gran Canaria in the Canarian island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

, located in the Plaza Mayor de Guía; its buildings date from the 16th century. The Canarian balcony is of Mudejar style, in wood and coat of arms with the surnames ''Guanarteme'' and ''Quintana''.

History

Guía de Gran Canaria was, until 1526, a population administratively dependent on

Gáldar Gáldar is a town and a Spanish municipality in the north of the island of Gran Canaria in the Province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Its population is (2013), In the 19th century Luis Francisco died in January 1817, after his wife had died in April 1805, her daughter María de los Dolores Acedo and Suarez inherited it, who died single in Las Palmas on June 17, 1887 at the age of 95 years, leaving testamentary dispositions before the notary José Benítez Llarena in which he designates as his heir of his property his nephew José Acedo Martinón as a lifetime usufruct and upon his death he should fall equally among his children called José, Agustín, Isidro and María del Pino Acedo Llarena. But among its provisions there were express legacies such as the one that it makes regarding the house in the square in favor of Teresa Valdés y Acedo, widow of José Páez, establishing that upon her death they would fall in favor of the children of her other nephew Isidro Acedo Martinón. Consequently, in December 1887 María Teresa Valdés registered said usufruct in her name for which it was necessary to make a record because the house was not registered in the Registry. Therefore, immediately after the death of María Acedo Suárez, her cousin José Acedo Martinón went to the Guide Court to testify the previous data of origin of the house to state that since despite having inherited it, it did not appear inscribed in his name in the corresponding mortgage registry that worked then in the town hall, and requests to fulfill this requirement, surely to be able to exercise its inherited right. The petition was admitted and required several witnesses, who were Pedro Bautista Hernández and Antonio Galván Pagán, to prove the veracity of the information they answered affirmatively. The file passed to prosecutor Ignacio Díaz Lorenzo, who approved it and Judge Francisco Lorenzo Montesdeoca issued a self-approval for what was registered in November 1887. In November 1891, Teresa Valdés sells said usufruct to Antonio Medina Martín, who in December 1908 together with the lump property owned by José, Agustín, Isidro and María del Pino Acedo Llarena, were transferred to María del Carmen Martín Padrón, woman who was from Francisco González Santana. By testament of the said, dated July 26, 1923, before the notary Salvador García Pérez, he declares his sons Manuel, Santiago, Francisco, Alfredo, Aurelio and Asunción González Martín as heirs. In the partition of these goods, the house corresponded to Santiago González Martín, who registered it in his name in November 1928. There are written references that at the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th century they occupied the house, possibly rented, the Montesdeoca brothers, -Gaspar and Lorenzo, heals both, since the second was benefited from said church and later

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of the cathedral- who commissioned Luján Pérez the magnificent stature of the Virgen de las Mercedes. It is said that in the basement of the typical balcony of this house, theatrical performances were held every year on September 24, and in one of these it was where the archdeacon of Fuerteventura, José de Viera y Clavijo, discovered the skills of a child from whom He became a protector and would later be the priest of the Tabernacle, politician in the

Cortes of Cádiz The Cortes of Cádiz was a revival of the traditional ''cortes'' (Spanish parliament), which as an institution had not functioned for many years, but it met as a single body, rather than divided into estates as with previous ones. The General ...

and canon of the Cathedral of Havana: Pedro José Gordillo Ramos. It was the childhood home of Simón Bonifacio Rodríguez y Rodríguez and José Rodríguez y Rodríguez, in which the latter lived from 1934 until his death in 2012.

Architecture

The remaining building preserves little of the century of its origin, the 16th century. Of this the most striking is a door on the left side of the inner courtyard that is topped by a late Gothic arc of memories, specifically those known as

ogee arch An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinatio ...

. The architecture conforms to the traditional domestic architecture of the well-to-do class of the Canary Islands: through its main facade crosses the vestibule that gives access to the interior courtyard, from which various rooms depart, as well as the staircase that leads to the upper floor. On this floor are found interesting Mudejar wood paneling with

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

details as well as the cupboard attached or recessed in the dining room. Other locations of the inferior plants are the cellars and the old stable. The most characteristic architectural elements are located in the main façade, such as the portal framed by stonework that presents a

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

known as

cushioning Package cushioning is used to protect items during shipment. Vibration and impact shock during shipment and loading/unloading are controlled by cushioning to reduce the chance of product damage. Cushioning is usually inside a shipping container ...

. This frame is of a frequent typology in different points of Gran Canaria. More precisely it displays a form in which the main door is united with a window of the superior plant that is decorated as well with the corresponding sill and the cornice that crowns the whole. However, the façade has another more significant element: on its right side is a

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

of covered carpentry and with railing or handrail of

lattice Lattice may refer to: Arts and design * Latticework, an ornamental criss-crossed framework, an arrangement of crossing laths or other thin strips of material * Lattice (music), an organized grid model of pitch ratios * Lattice (pastry), an orna ...

grid. It is an even more singular balcony because its location on the facade. It is on the right-hand side.

Status

This building is considered a Good of Cultural Interest within the Historic Site of Santa María of Guía de Gran Canaria for its history and artistic value, as well as for being in Guia's main square. It is in a semi-ruinous state.Mention of the Casa Quintana on the Canary Islands government portal on Cultural Interest Goods inside the BIC of the Historic Quarter of Santa María de Guía
Source:

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

of the Canary Islands Its last tenant departed in 2017.

Gallery

File:Casa_Quintana_2003_1.jpg, Façade of Casa Quintana in 2003. File:Casa_Quintana_2003_2.jpg, Side view of Casa Quintana in 2003. File:Casa_Quintana_1977.jpg, Casa Quintana in 1977. File:Casa_Quintana_desde_Iglesia_2003.jpg, Casa Quintana from the Church of Guía in 2003. File:Interior_Casa_Quintana_2012.jpg, Interior courtyard of the Casa Quintana in 2012. File:Arco-conopial.jpg, Door on the left side of the inner courtyard topped by an arch of memories of

. File:Puerta_derecha_desde_patio_interior.jpg, Access to the house from the right door of the interior patio. File:Blason_de_de_la_fachada.jpg,

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of the façade of the Casa Quintana. File:Puerta_izquierda_patio_Interior.jpg, Access to the house from the inner courtyard from the left door. File:Techo_de_tea_del_salon.jpg, Tea roof of the salon File:Esquina_techo_de_tea.jpg, Corner of the roof of tea File:Techo_del_Salon_y_su_lampara_de_araña.jpg, Tea roof of the living room and lamp. File:Casa_Quintana_fiestas_de_las_marias.jpg, Casa Quintana in party.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* González-Sosa, Pedro '' Contribution to a history of Guía de Gran Canaria ''. City Council of Santa María de Guía, 1985. * Martín Rodríguez, Fernando Gabriel '' Canarian domestic architecture '' Aula de Cultura de Tenerife, 1978. * Quintana Andrés, Pedro C '' A look at the past '' City Council of Santa María de Guía, Government of the Canary Islands, 2006. {{ISBN, 84-689-8185-0

External links

Bien de Interest Cultural of the Historic Center of guia de Gran Canaria from Canarian Government
Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Las Palmas History of the Canary Islands Tourist attractions in the Canary Islands Buildings and structures in Las Palmas