GarafÃa
Garafía (full name: Garafía ) is the northernmost of the 14 municipalities of the Canary Island of La Palma. The main town is called Santo Domingo de Garafía.
Places in the municipality
The population numbers in parentheses are from the year 2007.
- Santo Domingo de Garafía ( 515)
- Las Tricia (310 )
- Franceses (232 )
- Cueva del Agua (175 )
- Roque del Faro ( 108)
- Hoya Grande ( 94)
- Llano Negro ( 83)
- El Palmar (66 )
- El Castillo (74 )
- La Mata ( 56)
- Juan Adalid -El Mudo (52 )
- El Tablado (42 )
- Don Pedro ( 42)
Demographics
Since the 50s of the 20th century, a sharp decline in population is recorded ( from 1950 to 1981: - 57.4 %).
The region
The entire community has a coastline of cliffs, rock walls and cliffs almost no beaches - interrupted by deep gorges mouths. In the country are small villages and the groves of dragon trees, above the forests of the rugged Canary Pine ( Pinus canariensis). Then above follows a real mountain climate with the highest, often snow- capped peaks of the island, the 2,426 meter high Roque de los Muchachos with international star observatories, which are up there with just air and no foreign light best conditions.
The hermitage of San Antonio del Monte, which dates from the 16th century, dressed always on Saturday at the 13th June for a celebration. The large Portuguese community had once taken the patron saint of Portugal San Antonio de Padua for Garafía. It takes place the procession of Saint Anthony with music, food and wine. Here, the large cattle market is held.
Santo Domingo de Garafía
The main town of Santo Domingo de Garafía is about 350 meters above sea level and is a small village with steep streets, traditional houses and a typical plaza in the town center. A little below is the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de La Luz with its nave from the 16th century, the nave was built about 100 years later. In this small church is the holy image of the Virgin of Light. A People's History Museum provides an insight into the history and traditions, to the nature parks and hiking opportunities in archeology and finally the Observatory of the Roque de Los Muchachos. It is housed in the Cultural Centre.
From the place a road towards the coast goes to the so-called Puerto de Garafia, a natural harbor with small bay, upstream of the three rocky islands Los Guinchos.
Cultural Park La Zarza
In the municipality of Garafía there are numerous archaeological sites. In Culture Park La Zarza is an exhibition about the pre-Hispanic natives, also called Guanches. A walk leads from there to the rock engravings, spirals and meanders which have left the Natives. It is one of the largest Canary sites. The cultural park is located in a damp forest area with impressive moss-covered trees.
Traffic
The community Garafía counted long time as far deposited. The Caminos Reales pull Garafía, these sometimes well-developed trails were until the 1960s the main roads of the region. Goods and loads were transported on donkeys to the boat landings on the coast. Only in the 1990s, the road network was paved as far as that neighboring communities were relatively easily accessible. Smaller towns on the rugged north coast can be reached up to now only on dirt roads.