It's Time for my Teguise!

Sept. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- Not to be confused with it's tourist hotspot counterpart Costa Teguise, although the resort is a part of the municipality. The municipality is located from the centre of the island spanning to the northern and eastern areas of the island. The town has an population of over 14,000 which had doubled over the previous 20 years. Some Lanzaroteños considered Teguise as their real capital and in fact call Arrecife 'El Puerto', which means the port. Also in the region of Teguise you can find some of best Lanzarote villas

Teguise was founded in 1418 by Maciot de Béthencourt, the Nephew of  Lanzarote's Norman conqueror Jean de Béthencourt, and it was called Villa Real de Tenguise. The name Teguise derives from the one of the princesses of Guardafia. One of Lanzarote's most influential artists and architects César Manrique was born in this area.

In between the 16th and 18th centuries Teguise started to develop into a prosperous place where many noble families started to settle in. It is one of the oldest towns of the canary islands as it has been around for more than a century.  

It is said said that various musical instruments were invented in Teguise, including the 'timple', a unique five-string guitar. If you could compare this instrument with anything it would be ukulele as it is similar in sized but has an extra string.

This is also home with the biggest market on the island, the Teguise Market. Every Sunday it is filled with shoppers not only from the island but from places all over the world. There are over 100 stalls so people will no doubt the thing they are looking for. The market runs from 9am until 2pm, and there are various food stalls and entertainment from street bands to dancers. If you are going it is advisable that you walk to the market as it is the ideal way to get there, public transport will be very busy and you may not get a seat when travelling and taking a taxi will be very costly.

In the town there are various building structures, such as the white parish church Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe) which dominates the centre of the town and has been rebuilt numerous time, the most recent was at the beginning of the 20th century.  There is also the Palacio Spinola that faces the church on the opposite side. It is an 18th century mansion that was home to numerous families of noble status, it was later bought by the city council.  In the 1970's Cesar Manrique was given the task to restore this building in order to keep the essence of the 18th century for many years to come. The Castillo de Santa Barbara that stands on the side a volcano overlooking Teguise, and it's original use was to serve as a watch tower in the 14th century but was later reconstructed and in the 16th century was transformed into a fortress after the bloody pirate raid. You can also find the Emigration Museum here, you will find exhibitions looking at the hard times of the emigrates that travelled from South and Central America.





Vacation rentals from around the world, direct from the owner at http://www.vacationrentalpeople.com/.

Try some of the beautiful Lanzarote villas available at VacationRentalPeople.com: http://www.vacationrentalpeople.com/vacation-rentals.aspx...