Antigua

A dreamy little place, dominated by the church that was built in 1785, and that now stands in the midst of well-tended greenery. Dedicated to the Virgen de la Antigua, it is usually open to visitors in the mornings and towards evening.
Antigua was built in the 18th century and is one of the oldest places on the island. In the years 1812 and from 1835 to 1836, it was briefly the capitol of the island, before having to hand over the honour to La Oliva. Today, Antigua has a number of cultural and social facilities: a school, a library, an outpatient’s clinic, a post office. Once a fortnight the justice of the peace settles civil disputes. In the church hall, young and old from the neighbourhood meet.
The Centro Cultural has a special role to play in the life of the village. It is home to the folklore group “Mafasca Collective”, and to the “Telemafasca” video studio, where children and young people especially produce their own films and video clips. In the music school, traditional instruments and dances are taught, but also the samba and percussion instruments, the children’s carnival club bursts into activity during the carnival season, and the house band plays for the Gran Verbena, the dance.
In May or June each year, folklore groups and craftsmen and women meet at the FERIA INSULAR DE ARTESANIA, to show off their skills, sell their products, and swap news. A large area has been prepared specially for the purpose on the eastern edge of town, with a swimming-pool, a football field, a gymnasium, a basketball court and sweeping lawns. A MARKET is held there at irregular intervals, and is visited by the whole island.
Another place worth visiting is the PUEBLO MAJORERO (by Antigua’s restored mill). A local museum with workshops and souvenir shops selling the products of local craftspeople provide a representative cross-section of Majorero cultural history.
Why not take a trip out into the region to the east of Antigua: from Las Pocetas to Valles de Ortega, or along the narrow road to Puerto del Rosario. In winter especially after the rainy season, the old clay-coloured farms, mills and aljibes (that store water) provide a colour contrast to the pink blossoms of the almond trees and the tender green that springs up out of the clay soil for a few weeks, though in summer the clay-coloured buildings are well camouflaged, and can hardly be distinguished from their surroundings.