The city that we know today as the Los Silos was founded on the lands of the Hispanic kingdom of Daute shortly after the conquest because it was a very rich area.
The first settlers were the Castilians, Catalans, settlers Extremadura, Portuguese and Genoese, to which were added the settlers of El Hierro to La Gomera and the island of Gran Canaria.
The name of Los Silos, silos, already appears in 1509 and it is a clear evocation of the main economic activity of the region: agriculture, with grain surpluses were exported. Over the years, it also cultivated cane to suck (the region had several sugar refineries), vines and silk with the silkworm breeding.
It was in the early to mid-sixteenth century, a hermitage dedicated to La Concepción on the property of Gonzalo Yanes. However, because certainly problems with the owner, the inhabitants decided to build a church under the invocation of Nuestra Señora de la Luz. She obtained parish status in 1605 with the agreement of the Bishop Francisco Martínez and thus separated from the parish of Buenavista.
Right from the sixteenth century, the resort also has a royal representative depends on the Cabildo de La Laguna, designated by the “Corregidor” of the island, the royal magistrate appoint mayors representing King.
Church of Our Lady of Light (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Luz)
This parish church has undergone many changes over the centuries since its construction in the late sixteenth century. The choir, the chapels, the niche of the Virgin were added and in 1926, its facade was modified and rebuilt in a Gothic style are wanting from the plans Mariano Estanga. It comprises a single nave with side chapels and added its coffered roof of Mudejar inspiration. In the chapel on the left, is venerated the statue of the Christ of La Misericordia, from the school of Seville from the first half of the seventeenth century, which some attribute to the sculptor from Cordoba Juan de Mesa, disciple of Martínez Montañés and is considered one of the sculptures with the highest value of all the Canary Islands.
The statue of the patron of the place has a bit murky origin - legend has it appeared in 1521 on the nearby coast of Garachico - and it has an interesting ring in silver (of Mexican origin, seventeenth century). In terms of jewelry, it must be heard of the processional cross of the late sixteenth century, which is considered one of the most beautiful parts of the whole time of the Renaissance on the island; at the intersection of the arms, there is a large medal on which are carved the walls of Jerusalem and the cross node is of great beauty.
Phone: 00 34 922 840 019 - Visiting hours: during hours of worship.
The San Sebastián monastery (Convento de San Sebastián)
The convent of Bernardine San Sebastián was founded in 1649 by Sebastián Pérez Enríquez and his wife Luisa Francisca Montañés. Belonging to the order of the Sisters of San Bernardo is a very simple construction which took its final form in the seventeenth century. It consists of a cloister and a courtyard with two floors.
Flora and Fauna
Los Silos, agricultural town by excellence in the eighteenth century, is surrounded by lush vegetation and stunning natural spaces the Monte del Agua which allows to observe the exuberance of laurel forest.
All southern town and much of the western region are included in the Rural Park of Teno. The dense forest we find there Monte de Aguas y Pasos, composed of laurel, of Mirica faya and Erica arborea. With around 800 hectares, it is a forest of great ecological importance because of plant and animal species it houses.
Two species of doves of laurel forest (Columba junoniae and Columba de Bolle), partridge Scolopax rusticola, and many birds and insects find shelter there. At Erjos between Los Silos and the neighboring town of El Tanque, there are large ponds where there is an important birdlife. Due to the extraction of aggregates and soil and accumulation of rainwater, several lagoons were formed whose edges have been colonized by vegetation, creating an ideal habitat for many birds like chickens d water, snipes, herons, and even as a casual visitor, the osprey.
The natural site of the cliffs of Los Silos, El Tanque, Garachico and Icod present, besides a great value in terms of landscape, a great plant diversity in a space in the dramatic topography.
Other sites of great natural interest, we should mention the Montaña de Taco and the cliffs of the coastline.
.png "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Crest (author Jerbez). Click to enlarge the image.")
.jpg "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Place. Click to enlarge the image.")
.jpg "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Los Silos View. Click to enlarge the image.")
Situation.png "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Village location (author Jerbez). Click to enlarge the image.")
Visits
Church of Our Lady of Light (.jpg "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Church. Click to enlarge the image.")
.jpg "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Church. Click to enlarge the image.")
The San Sebastián monastery (
Flora and Fauna.jpg "The town of Los Silos in Tenerife. Mountain View. Click to enlarge the image.")
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