Puerto de la Cruz » Places of Interest
Cliffs, mountainside and caves at Martiánez. The mountainside at Martiánez is one of the few natural areas in the Municipality of Puerto de la Cruz. Its impressive 45-metre height inspired one of Agatha Christie’s stories. It is made up of a series of geological strata of different volcanic materials, a natural entity which encompasses an important ecological, historical, ethnographical and archaeological heritage. The Tenerife Cabildo has begun the procedure to have the Martiánez mountainside declared part of the Island Cultural Heritage as an Archaeological Zone. This cliff on which the viewpoint and the suburb of La Paz sit, was, before the Spanish Conquest, a guanche burial ground. In these natural caves, some used as dwelling caves and others for burials, numerous aboriginal remains have been found. Near the caves, there was once the famous Martiánez spring, one of the main sources of water for the population of Puerto. In 1901 pipes were installed from this spring to Chorro Cuaco in Valois Street. Furthermore, the mountainside is renowned for the important native flora, in particular the Canary palms and the tabaiba [Euphorbia]. Formerly there was a footpath, much used by tourists, which descended the hillside and linked the Martiánez beach with the La Paz viewpoint, until a large rock fall necessitated its closure.
© Centro de Iniciativas y Turismo de Puerto de la Cruz