Telde - History

History

Pre-Spanish colonialist invasion Telde was the eastern centre to the aborigenes of the island, and the renowned aborigen Doramas is believed to have lived here. Telde, situated in a most fertile area of Gran Canaria, has its equivalent province in Morocco in a very fertile region called Tedlah. Early records point to about 14,000 aborigen dwellings here in Telde at the time of conquest, and Telde is the spot where the famous Idolo de Tara figure—currently housed in the Museo Canario in Las Palmas—was discovered.

Createde by papal decree 1351. Today Telde is Gran Canaria's second city with a population well over 80,000. The historic old town area of Telde is particularly popular with visitors.

In the past, Telde was an agricultural community, the main crops being sugar canes, vineyards, bananas and tomatoes. Today, the surrounding area of Telde is quite heavily industrialised becoming the industrial centre on the island.

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Telde is the true spiritual centre of Telde. Located in the square of the same name and founded in 1483, the old church was erected by the Garcia del Castillo family at the time of the town's foundation. It still has the original gateway, an example of Sevillian-Portuguese Gothic architecture. The towers, however, are an example of early 20th neo-Gothic construction. The real marvels are inside the building: the statue of Christ on the main altar, made from corn dough by the Tarasco Mexican Indians, brought here before 1550, the Flemish Gothic main altar, which dates back to before 1516, and the triptych of the Virgin Mary, brought from Flanders, also in the 16th century, depicting five religious scenes.