The first viewpoint you’ll come across upon entering the Anaga Rural Park is the Mirador de Jardina, offering a spectacular landscape: the Montaña del Socorro in Güímar, and to the northeast, stretching almost to Puerto de la Cruz. Towering over this magnificent panorama stands the majestic Teide volcano, along with La Laguna and Las Mercedes.

But it’s not just the view you can take in from here—it’s also history. From these cliffs, water used to flow directly from La Laguna to what is now known as Calle del Agua (“Water Street”), named for that very reason. When the Castilians conquered the island, they chose to build their city in a flat valley with access to water and fertile land.

That location is what we see from here: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, surrounded by mountains, close to the port—but far enough away to avoid pirate attacks.

In 1494, the Castilians decided to conquer Tenerife. One of the most notable battles during this conquest was the Battle of Acentejo, which marked the first major defeat of the Castilian army at the hands of the Guanches (the island’s original inhabitants). The town where this took place is now known as La Matanza de Acentejo (“The Slaughter of Acentejo”). The Castilians later avenged their defeat at the Battle of La Victoria, and to commemorate their victory, the conqueror planted a pine tree that still stands today. The site is now known as La Victoria. All of these places can be seen from this very viewpoint.

The Guanches who refused to convert to the Castilian way of life or become slaves fled into the mountains, and to this day, their caves are still visible. But you don’t have to go that far back to witness how our ancestors lived. Communication systems in this part of the island are quite recent, and up until the last century, locals still lived in cave houses, farming or herding livestock in the surrounding lands, and walking through the very mountains and trails you can see from here to get from one place to another.