No. 10 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

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GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA Nº 10
The giant Guayadeque ravine that guards the island
Gran Canaria’s ravines are like wounds that cut
deep into its eroded land. Indeed, the island’s skin
is extremely wrinkly, having suffered the ravages
of the sun, rain and wind over time, with sharp
ridges running from the summit down to the sea.
The Guayadeque ravine is the most impressive of
these, due to the narrow space that lies between
its cliffs. It is a spectacle that continues to overwhelm
visitors, even if they have walked along its
course on several occasions. Any time of the year
is a good time to visit, but with the almond trees
in blossom this image is transformed into a natural
work of art. It is a place where caves were once,
and still are, a habitat for the local population. The
caves have fulfilled different roles, adapting to
each era, including the religious period and, more
recently, the restoration and tourist residential period.
The eastern side of Gran Canaria offers several references
to large former settlements and important
cave dwellings. It was one of the most populated
areas before the Castilian conquest at the
end of the 15th century. Other places of interest
include the amazing sanctuary at Cuatro Puertas,
the series of engravings at Balos, or the villages
of Agüimes and Ingenio, hidden from the eyes of
warships, pirates or Berbers, thanks to the Morro
de Ávila and the mountain of Agüimes, which
stands tall between the sea and these villages.
This mountain diverts the ravine’s course just as
it is about to reach the coast, along a cleft that
starts at Caldera de Los Marteles (1500 m), and
runs right in between the towns of Ingenio and
Agüimes, until it reaches the bay of Gando. It also
forms a natural wall that blocks the view from the
coast, constituting a solid defence and watchtower
for spotting the arrival of hostile ships and others
less hostile vessels in good time, such as the
passage of Columbus’ ships in 1492.
A number of basalt hills stand tall at the top of
the small mountain range, the home to one of the
most outstanding cave paintings in the Canary
Islands, with panels of engravings containing representations
with anthropomorphic motifs (sexed
and asexual human figures), geometric motifs,
mainly reticulated and parallel lines.
The most abundant representations are human
figures. Among them is what is known as the Man
of Guayadeque, a large anthropomorphic engraving,
measuring 46 cm high and 32 cm wide. It is
probably the largest anthropomorphic figure to
be found in the archipelago.
Another interesting feature of the complex is two
large artificial caves that were lived in by the ancient
inhabitants of the island, whose uses remain
a mystery. The first cave is divided into two interconnected
rooms that preserve the remains of
paintings on their walls, forming a kind of frieze
of white triangular motifs on a red ochre background.
There are also some remains of paintings
in the second cave, which is a single room.
More curious still is the presence of a number of
round and rectangular hollows that have been
dug out of the lower part of the walls and in the
floor. Dry stone walls line the outside of these cavities,
some of which may be of pre-Hispanic origin,
and were reused as a farmyard to keep livestock,
both the outer walled space and the caves themselves.
A walk along this mountain ridge is like a return
to the distant past while overlooking the island’s
great modern expansion, with its airport, large
Arinaga industrial estate, the Atlantic Ocean and
the peaks of Gran Canaria, with the Guayadeque
ravine that snakes its way up inland, guarded by
the impenetrable face of an anthropomorphic engraving
that has survived for centuries, watching
over the ravine, the island and its history.