Vilaflor is a municipality and village in the south-central part of the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

, one of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, and part of

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (province) Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz (), is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of about half of the Atlantic archipelago: the islands o ...

, Spain. Vilaflor, with an altitude of 1,400 m, is the highest village on Tenerife, situated south of the Teide volcano. It is located 7 km north of

San Miguel de Abona San Miguel de Abona is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The TF-1 motorway passes through the southern part of the munic ...

and 51 km southwest of the island's capital

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

. The population is 1,645 (2018)Instituto Canario de Estadística
, population and the area is 56.26 km².

Sights

* Paisaje Lunar (Lunar Landscape), a geological phenomenon created by erosion. * El Pino Gordo (Thick Pine tree). * The mineral springs of Fuente Alta, which can be found at 1400 meters above sea level in a protected nature reserve. The bottled water company Fuentealta uses from this mineral spring. * Church of Saint Peter, it is the parish church of the town. * Sanctuary of the Santo Hermano Pedro, a church built in honor of Saint

Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur (or Betancourt) y Gonzáles, OFB (, 21 March 1626– 25 April 1667), also called Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt (''Brother Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur'') or more simply Peter de Betancurt, Hermano ...

(''Santo Hermano Pedro'').

History

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century, the territory was inhabited by the

Guanches The Guanche were the Indigenous peoples, indigenous inhabitants of the Spain, Spanish Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean some to the west of modern Morocco and the North African coast. The islanders spoke the Guanche language, which i ...

, the first settlers of the island, belonging to the kingdom or

menceyato of Abona Abona was one of nine menceyatos (native Guanche kingdoms) that has divided the island of Tenerife after the death of mencey Tinerfe, in the days before the conquest of the islands by the Crown of Castile. It extended over the municipalities Fasn ...

. Once the conquest is over, the colonizing process begins with the distribution of land and other goods among the conquerors and settlers by the new governor

Alonso Fernández de Lugo Alonso Fernández de Lugo (; died 1525) was a Spanish conquistador, city founder, and administrator. He conquered the islands of La Palma (1492–1493) and Tenerife (1494–1496) for the Castilian Crown; they were the last of the Canary Islan ...

. The current town would be founded around 1520, reaching the category of municipality in 1812. In 1533, a hermitage dedicated to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

was built by the Soler family. In 1568 the hermitage was elevated to the rank of parish church. Saint

was born in Vilaflor in 1626. This religious was a missionary in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and is the first native saint of the Canary Islands. The Sanctuary of the Santo Hermano Pedro is currently located in the exact location of his birthplace. Today, vines and potatoes, as well as fruits, flowers and vegetables are grown in the surrounding region. Vilaflor is currently the least populated municipality on the island of Tenerife, with 1,645 inhabitants in 2018.

Climate

Historical population

Twin towns – sister cities

La Orotava La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...

, Spain * La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

Gallery

Plaza Doctor Pérez Cáceres, middle part, Vilaflor.jpg, Central square Calle Santo Domingo, north part II, Vilaflor.jpg, Small houses Road No TF-21, intersection, Vilaflor.jpg, Main road Calle Santo Domingo, middle part II, Vilaflor.jpg, Santo Domingo street Santuario del Santo Hermano - Vilaflor - 01.jpg, Sanctuary of the Santo Hermano Pedro

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilaflor, Santa Cruz De Tenerife Populated places established in the 16th century Municipalities in Tenerife