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TOURISM
DATES OF INTEREST
LOCATION
The town of Teror is located in the mid-mountain range on the north of Gran Canaria, just 20km from the capital of Las Palmas. Its township borders Arucas to the north; Las Palmas to the northeast; Santa Brigida to the east; San Mateo to the south, Valleseco to the west and Firgas to the northwest.
SURFACE AREA
Teror covers a land area of 25.8km2, of which 3.5km2 (14% of the municipality) is fully protected land, with two particularly important natural reserves: the Doramas Rural Park (the Osorio Farm Estate) and the protected area of the Holy Pine. Teror is the fourth smallest township on the island and its perimeter is 33.2km.
CLIMATE
Teror’s windward location gives it a moist climate, with average annual rainfall of roughly six cubic metres, and frequent dew and mist during the autumn and winter months. Its mid-range mountain setting means that temperatures fluctuate sharply between the hottest and coldest months of the year, with possible extremes of 30ºC in the height of summer and as low as 6ºC in winter.
Geology
The topography of Teror is quite irregular with a landscape marked by several ravines and mountains.
Of its overall area, 70% is mountainous with a gradient of over 30%. These mountains range from 175m above sea level in the area closest to the coast at Las Cerpas Ravine to the height of 1,257m at the summit of El Talayon in the interior region of San Isidro. The heart of Teror’s historic town centre, at the Basilica, is 589m above sea level and one of its most famous peaks, the Pico de Osorio, is an impressive 969m.
The region’s geological composition is mainly basaltic materials of the second volcanic cycle –aged between 2.8 and 4 million years, together with the formation of acid rock from the first cycle which may be as much as 10 million years old. The most ancient formations are found in the area of San José del Alamo, Vuelta de La Palma, Barrio del Pino and El Rincón, whereas the newest volcanic formations are in Pino Santo and Osorio. One of the most interesting geological formations is in the Caldera de Pino Santo, which is included in the protected area (see p.40) and which has great natural value as it is a volcanic cone of the most recent eruptions that formed the area’s surface.
In Teror’s mountain system, the most noteworthy feature is the central ravine which carves out its pronounced elevation. This ravine, called Barranco de Madrelagua, stretches from Teror to Tenoya and reaches the summit before spilling into the area of Tinoca in the north. Teror also has several valleys, hillsides and farmland terraces, where many rural families make their homes.
One of the town’s most impressive open rural areas covers the mountainside which extends over part of the Doramas Rural Parkland. Its most impressive peaks are called El Moron and the Pico de Osorio, which cradle the town centre and the neighbourhoods of El Rincón, Los Llanos, El Secuestro and the Barrio del Pino area. The high clay content of the deep red soil has caused considerable damage to the ancient buildings in the town centre, including the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pine, which has had to undergo considerable renovation work over the years.
FAUNA
Although a limited number of large mammals roam Teror’s wilderness areas, there are many fauna of the invertebrate species especially insects such as beetles, slugs, snails, arachnids and several types of birds. Among the latter, are the mountain canary, the blackbird, a type of sparrow known locally as palmero, the alpispa, the robin, the kestrel, the chiffchaff, known as hornera, the small owl and the blue tit. Of particular interest, however, is the shrew of Osorio, found only in this protected nature reserve. This species of shrew was identified in the park at the end of the 1980s.
The shrew of Osorio, also known as ratón hocicudo, is a harmless mammal which lives on snails, slugs and earthworms, and even dead animal carcasses. It lives in damp areas. Its appearance is more delicate than the common Canarian shrew with shorter ears and legs and a thinner tail. Its body measures between 5.5cm and 7cm. It was discovered in the Osorio Farm in 1989, so it has become known as Crocidura Osorio.
The Osorio Farm boasts great diversity of flora and fauna. There are many endemic species, such as the laurisilva or the Canary St John’s wort.
FLORA
Not far from the town centre, the Osorio Farm and basin ravine areas contain the rare and ancient laurisilva vegetation. This primitive plant life, which has been well documented scientifically, is found even more abundantly in the Doramas Rural Park area, but has been reduced by other species of plant-life which dominate the neighbouring hillsides, mountains and ravines. The mild climate of our town has encouraged the growth of varied, abundant vegetation. The green cover (known as monteverde), the cactus, prickly pear, eucalyptus, chestnut-tree, replanted pine, fruit trees and, to a lesser extent, autochthonous wild olive trees (of the oleaster and olive family) and other unique local plant species such as the mocan tree, native palms, dark-wood Canary St John’s wort, verodes (Kleinia neriifolia) and fruit-bearing Canary bell flower (Canarina canariensis which the locals call bicácaro) found in this area of Gran Canaria. The rich vegetation of the mountains and ravines is enhanced by farmlands of potatoes and other vegetables, fruit trees and pastures of grains.
POPULATION
Teror’s current census figures list 12,800 citizens, making it the tenth largest town in Gran Canaria, with 49% women and 51% men. The number of young people under 18 is 2,400 (19% of the total population) and more than 1,900 are over 65. There are more than 80 aged over 90, and until September of 2004, one of the oldest people in Spain lived in the town, Maria Asunción González, who reached 107 years of age.
The population is spread throughout the area but the greatest concentration of people resides in the old town and immediate neighbouring area of Pino, Los Llanos and El Rincón, where currently 60% of Teror’s citizens live. The most sparsely populated areas are those farthest from the coast, except for the Arbejales, with more than 1,000 inhabitants, which is the third most densely populated neighbourhood after Teror’s old town and the area known as El Palmar.
ECONOMY
Although farming and herding were the area’s main pursuits for several centuries, today Teror is a bustling centre for commerce and industry, mainly in the food sector (pastry, bottled mineral water, sausage and processed meat products) and carpentry. Teror’s geographic location made it one of the most important mid-range mountain commercial centres for centuries and a reference point in textiles and local produce.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Teror has 11 population centres which are, in turn, made up of some 50 or so neighbourhoods. These population settlements are quite spread out across the township. Traditionally, this was due to the town’s agricultural nature, with farmland divided up for crops and grazing.
More recent growth and development has brought these neighbourhoods closer together, mainly around the old town centre, where areas such as Barrio del Pino, El Hoyo, El Rincón, San Matías and Los Llanos make up more than 70% of the total census.
In terms of growth and number of inhabitants, other important neighbourhoods are El Palmar, Arbejales and El Álamo. The neighbourhoods which are closest to the island capital of Las Palmas, such as San José del Álamo, Lo Blanco, Miraflor and El Hornillo also have grown considerably in recent years.
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