The historical district San Roque

When visiting the capital of Gran Canary you should take some time to stroll through the authentic district San Roque. Being one of the historical districts of the old town area of Las Palmas, San Roque lies right on the rock of the same name. From there you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view overlooking Las Palmas.

San Roque runs along the fruitful gorge of Guiniguada with green banana plantations, animal grazes and terraces with fruit trees as well as vegetable patches. Nearby, there are watercourses lined by mills. These agriculturally used areas once were property of wealthy Spanish big landowners. To this day the “Clives of Las Palmas” called district still accommodates various farms. While in the early 20th century San Roque was mainly seen as the living area of workers and tradesmen and later as an immigration area, it is now a settlement of little companies, especially from the tertiary industry.

Something that has been of special economical interest for centuries is the geology of the shore areas in the gorge of Guiniguada. The rock being found there has been used for challenging building projects since the ancient world. These rocks were hewed by tradesmen (bricklayers, stonemasons) living in San Roque. Later the material was used for bridges, artistic ponds and magnificent buildings in Las Palmas. Everyone interested in the traditional life culture in the gorge of San Roque should make an excursion to these historical cave housings.