No. 32 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

14
GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA EDICIÓN 32
La Villa de Moya: where nature and culture
blend seamlessly to form a unique landscape
Within its 32 square kilometres, the town of Moya
showcases a range of resources that are as varied
as they are impressive. This municipality stretches
from the coast to the summit of Gran Canaria,
offering an array of diverse environments and
ecosystems of the north of the island. It includes
everything from the coastline with its rich marine
life, through the lush palm groves and banana
plantations of the mid-altitude hills, to the majestic
ravines that dominate the landscape.
After passing through the historic town centre
and the charming village of Fontanales, we start
an ascent towards the peaks, where the black colours
of the lava and the green meadows merge
in a visual embrace. This corner of Gran Canaria is
noted for its unique landscape, shaped over the
centuries by the harmonious relationship between
man and nature. In these territories, cultural, social
and economic interventions all converge to strike
an exceptional balance, the result of a rich history.
Thus, the natural spaces of Moya occupy a central
place, covering around 21 square kilometres of the
municipality's surface area.
Barranco Oscuro Integral Nature Reserve
This impressive stretch of ravine opens up into the
Barranco de la Virgen, to the west of the municipality
of Valleseco. One of the most remarkable
manifestations of the laurel forest of Gran Canaria
can be found right here. Its capacity for regeneration
makes it a promising candidate for the restoration
of this forest, which is of great importance
for the island. Abandoned agricultural and livestock
farming activity has led to the recolonisation
of this native vegetation.
Los Tilos Special Nature Reserve
This reserve covers a two-kilometre stretch of the
Barranco de Moya ravine, through which a powerful
river used to flow and where an outstanding
portion of laurel forest is still preserved, one of the
last vestiges of this forest in Gran Canaria. In former
times, it was part of the majestic "Doramas Jungle",
so called because of the presence of the Guanche
leader who led the resistance against the Spanish
colonisers in the 15th century. This lush area of
woodland began to diminish in the 16th century
due to the felling of trees for a variety of different
purposes, a barbaric act that people such as the
poet Tomás Morales and the renowned Miguel de
Unamuno tried to stop. Nowadays, it is possible to
explore the Barranco de los Tilos through a circular
path that has been prepared for this purpose.
Montañón Negro Natural Monument
Located at the top of the Villa de Moya, and after
having crossed the entire municipality from the
coast, passing through the historic centre and
leaving behind the town of Fontanales, is the Montañón
Negro, which offers spectacular panoramic
views of the windward side of the island. This Natural
Monument preserves one of the most recent
volcanic episodes on the island, maintaining its
volcanic cone, which also includes the practically
intact Caldera de los Pinos de Gáldar. The pyroclastic
mantles cover some species typical of the
mountainous regions of the islands, such as the
broom thickets. Similar to the new volcano at the
Cumbre Vieja summit area in the island of La Palma,
Montañón Negro is a Strombolian volcano,
calculated to be 3,075 years old according to the
National Geographic Institute, which emitted fluid
lavas that flowed down the slopes, creating a
channel several metres wide.
Barranco de Azuaje Ravine
This is one of the most impressive and beautifully
rugged ravines in the north of Gran Canaria, part
of the Doramas Rural Park and designated as a
Special Nature Reserve. Its uniqueness lies in the
steep mountains and cliffs that surround it, the
rocky cavities, the lush vegetation, dominated by
native species, and the constant flow of water in
the form of waterfalls and pools. The Azuaje Special
Nature Reserve was once the gateway to the
Doramas Jungle, and today houses the ruins of the
Azuaje Hotel and Spa, which in the 19th century
attracted wealthy European visitors in search of
the curative properties of its mineral-rich waters,
which originated from the island's volcanic activity.