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Teguise, 600 years of history and one year as the most beautiful town in Spain

We’re celebrating! One year ago Teguise, the old capital of Lanzarote, was declared along with 14 other towns and villages within Spanish territory, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.

This month of July Teguise is celebrating its first anniversary as one of the most beautiful towns in the country.

In July of 2019, a jury of architects and heritage experts chose a small list of towns and villages with the most personality and wealth of monuments for the Spanish publication El País, and among them was our old island capital, Teguise.

A few months later the Asociación de Pueblos más Bonitos de España (Association Of The Most beautiful Towns And Villages In Spain) presented the diploma at FITUR (international tourism fair) which certifies Teguise as one of the 94 most beautiful towns and villages in Spain.

Teguise has a wealth of historic heritage and well-kept vernacular architecture, a wide gastronomic and arts and crafts offer which all make La Villa, as it is affectionately called by the locals, a must for anybody visiting the island looking for enjoyment.

Unos meses más tarde la Asociación de Pueblos más Bonitos de España entregó en Fitur el diploma que certifica a Teguise su reconocimiento entre los 94 pueblos más bonitos de España.

Y es que Teguise dispone de un rico patrimonio histórico y una cuidada arquitectura vernácula, una amplia oferta gastronómica y artesanal, todo ello hace que La Villa, más conocida así por los habitantes de la isla, sea un lugar de obligada visita y disfrute.

Teguise, located in the north- east of the island, was one of the first settlements founded by the conquerors in the Canaries in the 15th century.

Situated likewise in the interior of the island thus protected from attacking pirates who prowled the Canarian coastline. These pirates would often loot the settlements and kidnap their inhabitants to later sell them as slaves or use as a bargaining chip. Walking down the cobbled streets of Teguise traces of those bloody attacks still remain.

From the Guanapay castle perched atop a volcano one can imagine how the early island inhabitants took refuge within its walls whenever an enemy ship was spotted landing on the coast.

Manor houses, small chapels, convents turned into museums or into the town hall, Arabic chimney tops, crosses on the roads, white houses, brown, green or blue painted woodwork, restaurants with a wide range of cuisine, and charming ateliers, all this and much more is what is on offer in the ¨Real (royal) Villa de Teguise¨.

Now you know, Teguise, the old capital of the island, is a must on your list of places to visit, where you can travel to the past through its alleyways, squares and most hidden nooks and take in one of the most bohemian towns in Lanzarote.

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