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The
city of Arucas is a district that
offers important architectural and
urban assets. The city centre,
declared a site of historic-artistic
interest, is a place visitors must not
fail to see.
The Parish
Church of San Juan Bautista the
leading architectural and social
monument in the borough. It was built
entirely in Arucas stone by local
master masons, and it dates from 1909.
Apart from the wealth of the carved
stone columns and column heads, there
are also some beautiful stained glass
windows, the works of Canary Island
painter Cristobal Hernandez de
Quintana, and an extraordinary carving
of the Reclining Christ, by Manuel
Ramos.
The
church faces onto Plaza de San Juan
and close by, is the unfinished neo-classical
building of the Teatro Nuevo
(1906).
Plaza
de la Constitucion is the site of the Town
Hall and the Municipal Market. Both
these buildings are great
architectural Works, as is the Cultural
Centre, a traditional 17th
century Canary Island house that
includes an inner courtyard with
balconies and a magnificent specimen
of a dragon tree. This building now
holds the Library and the General
Archives.
The Gourié
House, built in the early 19th
century, is an old house from the
Feudal Estate of Arucas that now
houses the Arucas Municipal Museum
and the Tourism Office,
surrounded by extraordinary ornamental
gardens.
An
outstanding feature of Arucas is the Rum
Museum and Factory, which can be
visited at any time and is considered
one of the historic buildings of the
borough, due to the tradition of rum
making in the town.
Another
of the main visits in Arucas is to the
Casa y Jardín de la Marquesa (The
Marquise’s Palace and Gardens). This
is an interesting architectural and
natural site that belongs to the Marquise
of Arucas. The house was built in 1880
and the spacious Romantic style
gardens around the house can also be
visited.
If
you prefer to see the natural setting
of the city, then you can climb Montaña
de Arucas, an excellent vantage
point offering one of the most
beautiful views of the north of the
island from any one of its look out
points.
Finally,
visitors coming to Arucas must not
miss the chance to visit "La
Goleta" Stone Quarry. Located
very close to the historic quarter,
this is one of the borough’s
historic quarries, where visitors can
buy small craft souvenirs made from
the famous blue stone of Arucas.
Beaches
The
coast of Arucas offers several
alternatives for visitors, be they
beaches or more rugged areas.
The
following are the main beaches of the
borough: Playa de Bañaderos-El
Puertillo and Playa de San
Andres. Both these are rock and
sand beaches but conditions are
usually good for swimming. Moreover,
they have showers and life guard
service. Despite the typical big waves
of this area, these are very popular
beaches with the people of the north
of the island.
The
borough also has other small coves and
rocky beaches that are not so popular
because the conditions for swimming
are not usually very good: difficult
access tracks, strong waves, etc.
7. Fiestas and
events
The
main fiesta of the borough of Arucas
is the fiesta of its Patron Saint, San
Juan Bautista, which is celebrated
every year on the 24th of June. The
traditional San Juan bonfires are lit
the night before, after organising a
livestock fair and a pilgrimage in
which men and women in typical costume
dance to the rhythm of Canary Island
folk music.
These
religious and festive events also
attract the local craftsmen, who
exhibit a wide range of typical local
products to the participants. The
religious fiestas held in Arucas also
include the Fiestas de Santa Lucia,
the 13th of December, and the Fiestas
de San Sebastian, the 20th of January.
The
Carnival, in February, is the most
important and popular recreational
fiesta of the borough and the
Christmas Festivities in December also
has an ample programme of popular
events.
Shopping
The
city centre of Arucas has spread, and
here you can stroll along the main
shopping streets, situated in the
centre of town: Calle Leon y
Castillo and Calle Francisco
Gourie.
But,
if you are looking for typical local
products, Arucas offers visitors the
chance to check out the open air
market that is set up in the car park
at the entrance to the city, every
Saturday morning. Here you can find a
varied range of local produce: fruit,
bread, cheese, etc.
One
of the typical features of Arucas is
that it has one of the most deep-rooted
craft traditions on the island,
especially for the popular stone
masons and quarrymen. Other craft
activities you will find in the
borough include artistic wood carving,
musical instruments, basketwork and
palm weaving, Canary Island knives,
lace work, embroidery, etc.
The
craftsmen have their workshops in the
city centre and in the surrounding
neighbourhoods, where you can find
some of the most exclusive examples of
Arucas craft work.
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