Pájara

Pajara is the southernmost of the six municipalities of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura. The same administrative seat of the municipality is fairly wealthy, resulting from the income of the major tourist centers of Costa Calma to Morro Jable.

Places in the municipality

The population numbers in parentheses are from the year 2011.

• Morro Jable ( 7,841 )
• Costa Calma ( 5531 )
• Solana Matorral ( 2,044 )
• La Lajita ( 1,692 )
• Pájara ( 1096 )
• Esquinzo (806 )
• La Pared (609)
• Piedras caídas (327 )
• Toto (279 )
• Ajui (91 )
• Cardon (130 )
• Mal Nombre (88 )
• Punta Jandia (31 )
• Chilegua ( uninhabited )

History

The name comes from the ancient slut Barranco de Pajara. There should have been many partridges, for the word slut means in Andalusian dialect partridge.

The name of the village was first mentioned in 1612 in a document on Betancuria. After the Conquest, the village began to grow. In the 17th century benefited from agriculture, livestock, fishing and trading, which was operated through the ports of La Pared and Peña Horadada. Although famines after particularly dry periods often triggered a wave of emigration, was pájara seat of one of five infantry troops on the island. 1681 what the people in front of the island's government to achieve an extension of the Saatlandes because the populations are so increased that the lands were no longer sufficient.

The first ship of the Church of Nuestra Señora de Regla was built in the same year. The Bishop Juan Ruiz, Simón (1706-1712) came to the island and criticized the lack of ecclesiastical presence in remote villages, of which he king Felipe V sat upon his return to Spain in knowledge. The result was that in 1708 the auxiliary parish of Nuestra Señora de Regla was founded in Pajara.

The rapidly growing population in the 18th century was a pósito 1776, a storage room, were kept in the stocks for periods of drought. In that time they lived mainly on livestock and the production of wheat, barley, potatoes and salt herb. Donkeys and camels exaggerated traditionally the waterwheels ( norias ) and grain mills ( tahonas ) to. End of the 18th century was an important export item by the mining of limestone quick lime.

In the 19th century the production of carmine or Cochenillefarbstoffs came about. This coveted red dye comes from the variety cultivated on the Opuntia larvae of cochineal.

Region

The municipality slut has a total of 150 kilometers of coastline. The northern flank the town Betancuria, east of the town of Tuineje. Pájara divided by the Isthmus of La Pared in the Jandia peninsula in the south and the northern part of the municipality.

Pájara

The wealthy town slut is like an oasis in the valley between 600 meters high mountains, of which the Fenduca 609 meters above sea level is the highest. In the village is 1733 finished church of Nuestra Señora de Regla. The sculpture of the Virgen de Regla is also revered in Cuba as the patron saint of the city of Havana and Regla, a provincial town of the same name. To the left of the church, the Centro Cultural de Pajara is with the community library. Opposite presents the Town Hall ( Ayuntamiento ) in a modern appearance. The Plaza is decorated with a donkey -powered waterwheel ( noria ) from the 19th century. Such Norias served decades ago to irrigate the fields. Today, however, agriculture has declined in importance, forfeited the former irrigation systems. Today in Pajara exists even a communal freshwater swimming pool, a real luxury on this dry island.

In the village you will also find the Casa del Artesano, where you can visit Canary craftsmanship.

At the exit to Puerto del Rosario, the self- consciousness of the place is also expressed in the statue of a goat milking farmers. On Fuerteventura fewer people live than goats. But that also means a threat to the environment, because the country was eaten downright bald by the goats. The goat cheese is called queso majorero on the island, because the inhabitants of Fuerteventura call themselves majoreros.

Ajui

Ajui, also known as Puerto de la Peña, was the most important times of the conqueror Jean de Bethencourt in the 15th century harbor of the island. Today it is a small fishing village. The town lost its importance to Puerto de Cabras, today's capital Puerto del Rosario.

Pools

In Toto is the Ermita de San Antonio de Padua. This church is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, was built in the second half of the 18th century and completed in 1795. It consists of a ship, but has two portals. Inside there is a statue of the patron saint of the place of Saint Anthony.

Economy

Today, 90 percent of the population works in the tourist sector. Challenge is to keep level so that the ecosystem of the island is not compromised. More hotel buildings are not planned. There is the quote: The municipality of Pajara not need a bed more!. To be dependent not only on the sector, the present government has taken on the task of promoting agriculture and cattle breeding again and rebuild. The goal is a certain degree of self-sufficiency.