Bien de Interés Cultural El Caserío de La Hoya

Caserío de La Hoya is a small, historic rural settlement in the municipality of San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife, regarded by researchers as one of the oldest — possibly the very first — population centers in the wider Abona region. The site combines traces of a traditional farming way of life with an unusually discreet, hidden location.

Where does the name come from and how old is the settlement?

The name "La Hoya" refers to the hollow, or shallow basin, in which the hamlet sits, tucked among the lower foothills of the Abona area. Records of land distribution in this spot date back to between 1505 and 1522, making it one of the earliest documented settlement sites in the municipality. Historians don't rule out that the area may have been inhabited even earlier, given the prior presence of the island's aboriginal population before the Spanish conquest, though solid archaeological evidence from that period is scarcer than the administrative records from the 16th century.

Why was this particular spot chosen for a settlement?

The location was primarily determined by access to water: the springs of Tamaide, Lunchón, and La Hoya itself lie in the immediate vicinity of the hamlet and supplied both residents and their crops for centuries. Equally important was the terrain — the settlement sits in a depression that effectively concealed it from view from the sea. This gave residents a degree of protection from pirate raids, a persistent threat along the coasts of the Canary Islands in the early modern period.

What survives on the site today?

The preserved cluster of buildings and agricultural infrastructure includes dwellings along with their adjoining outbuildings, a tile kiln, a threshing floor (era), water cisterns, two springs, and a network of old paths and tracks connecting the different parts of the hamlet. Surrounding the buildings are terraced fields where farmers once used the traditional "jable" cultivation system — a method characteristic of the Chasna and Abona regions that relies on a layer of volcanic gravel (lapilli) to retain soil moisture.

What protection status does the site hold today?

Following a request submitted by the San Miguel de Abona municipal government in 2007, the Canary Islands Government's Directorate General for Culture and Historical Heritage formally declared Caserío de La Hoya a Bien de Interés Cultural (Cultural Heritage Asset) under the category of Sitio Etnológico, or Ethnological Site. The decision was formalized through Decree 44/2015. This status protects both the buildings and the historic spatial layout of the settlement, along with the surrounding farmland, recognizing them as evidence of the traditional rural culture of the Abona region.

Frequently asked questions

Can Caserío de La Hoya be visited on your own? The hamlet lies within the municipality of San Miguel de Abona, surrounded by rural roads and farmland — it's more of a historic landscape site than a typical tourist attraction with visitor infrastructure.

What does the "Sitio Etnológico" designation mean? It's a legal heritage protection category used in the Canary Islands for sites that document traditional rural ways of life and work, covering both the built structures and the associated cultural landscape.

What is the "jable" farming system? It's a traditional agricultural technique that involves covering the soil with a layer of volcanic gravel, which retains moisture and reduces evaporation, allowing crops to be grown in the dry climate of southern Tenerife.