La-Oliva

In La Oliva, the administrative centre of the district, the magnificent buildings of the Casa de los Coroneles and of the once sumptuous, now deserted residence of the Manrique y Laras are reminders of a centuries-old tradition of power.
The military colonels (Coroneles) built their residence in 1708. In those days, they wielded absolute power (and also amassed possessions) as representatives of the permanently absent Governor. As far back as 1711, La Oliva was granted its own presbytery. For more than a century, the large land-owners transferred the wealth they gained from exporting cereals, saltwort, cochineal dye, and from high taxation, to Gran Canaria, whilst the region itself sank further into poverty, and thousands died or emigrated in the droughts. From 1836 onwards, La Oliva was the capital of Fuerteventura, until the harbour town of Puerto de Cabras (now Puerto del Rosario) assumed the function in 1860.
La Oliva still bears the traces of this development. Its expensive and pompous main square, and its sports facilities, are its otherwise rather modest houses, many of which are in need of repairs. The block of flats on the southern edge of town does little to change this impression. The housing estate of Villa de Artistas on the road to Puerto del Rosario, with imitations of antique sculptures on the approach road and standard detached houses arranged in a regular pattern - built on the initiative of the major - speaks for itself.
One attraction in La Oliva is the fort-like manor of CASA DE LOS CORONELES. The wooden balconies are decorated with carvings, and above the entrance is the coat of arms of the Cabreras, with a crown, a tree and a goat. The claim that the building has 365 windows is rooted in the astonished descriptions given by the bitterly poor, illiterate and innumerate population, who expressed the luxury and size of the house in their own special way: It had as many windows, they said, as there are days in the year.
Some way from the centre, at the end of the block of flats, is the CASA DEL CAPELLAN that once provided the priest with accommodation
The stone door and window frames are decorated with Aztec-like floral designs; both they and the remains of the wooden staircase in the Mudejar style have been abandoned to decay. Just across the way from the Casa de los Coroneles, Manuel Delgado Camino has opened a gallery for contemporary art in the CASA MANE. Surprisingly extensive, the two exhibition corridors run through the large garden half underground, whilst space has also been made for pictures in the house itself. The exhibitions of well-known Canarian artists change each year. Among the permanent exhibits are the works of Alberto Manrique, many of which are variations on the theme of mourning and remembrance in deserted, dying houses. Many of the originals are for sale, and there is also a sizeable art shop and a cafeteria. (Open 10.00 to 17.00 hrs, closed on Sundays and holidays).