La Oliva

La Oliva is a Spanish municipality in the province of Las Palmas located in the north of the island of Fuerteventura ...

... built over an extensive plain of fertile land and owes its name to the presence of "Acebuches" (wild olive trees) in its territory .. 

It is the second largest municipality in the Canaries, just after the majorera Pajara and the second most populous in Fuerteventura, after Puerto del Rosario (the capital).

A bit of History

La Oliva was an important nucleus of the population of Majos, an Aboriginal people living in the island before the Spanish era.

The conquest of Fuerteventura was in 1405 by Jean de Bethencour. The town of Betancuria was chosen as the capital because it was in a safe place from the attacks of pirates and took its name from the island's conqueror.

From Betancuria it was possible to control the whole island. Together with the town of Pajara (in the south) and La Oliva (in the north) it was created the first spinal column of the island.

The town of La Oliva was founded in 1500 by some people known as Hernandez brothers, residents of the Villa of Betancuria, "who built two houses in this jurisdiction with the aim to stay there during the period of sowing ...".

At that time some new villages begin to rise, as the port of El Toston (El Cotillo), Vallebron, La Caldereta, Los Lajares, Villaverde.

All these new emerging populations are located far away from the nerve center of Betancuria, so in 1711 is created the Parish of Oliva so that its people could accomplish their religious obligations.

In 1742 "Los Coroneles" transfer their residence from Betancuria to La Oliva, settling in the house known as the "Casa de los Coroneles" (house of colonels). La Oliva well is converted into one of the most important centers of population and in the main center of the island's government, due to the enormous political, economic and social life of Los Coroneles.

The "Cortes de Càdiz", in 1812, carry out an administrative reform which assigns the municipality category in all the parishes of more than a thousand inhabitants. This legislation makes it possible to create an own "Ayuntamiento" (Town Hall), independent from the far capital, Betancuria.

In the last third of the nineteenth century, with the disappearance of the figure of Los Coroneles, La Oliva loses protagonism in favor of Puerto Cabra, the current capital (actually Puerto del Rosario).

And then...

For nearly 500 years, the main economic activities of the town hall were farming of cereals, livestock breeding and, to a lesser extent, fishing. The strong tourist impulse, since the seventies of the past century, has converted the services sector in the great engine of the La Oliva development. This development led to an huge increase in the population working in the sectors linked to tourism, increasing from 2,900 inhabitants in 1975 to nearly 30,000 today..

In a cultural context, this population's growth, with people coming from many parts of the world, has created new customs and traditions that have left the traditional model in the minority.

In this municipality there are two natural parks, the Natural Park of Corralejo, which includes its unique dunes, and the "Isla de Lobos" nature park. In Lobos Park live about 130 species of animals and plants

In this territory you can find the Mountain of Tindaya, one of the main deposits of rock carvings of the island, the mountain was considered magical by the Guanches. It's a unique space that contains important archaeological and geological values.

In the area we highlight the beaches of El Cotillo and those of Corralejo, the two main centers that have enabled the development of tourism in the north of Fuerteventura. In its coasts there are the necessary conditions for practicing all kinds of water sports such as Surfing, Windsurfing, Diving, Kite, Sup, Canoe etc

In the city center there is the main church of La Oliva "Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria". Immediately nearby, the historic "Casa de Los Coroneles".

The market of traditions

In the Casa del Coronel, in the heart of La Oliva, there is the "Mercado de las Tradiciones" with a multitude of artisanal products: bread, cheeses, eggs, honey, artisan jams, oils, fruit, vegetables, natural creams, soaps, bags, hand-woven fabrics, fashion accessories, paintings ... and much more. The market always has fresh products that come directly from the fields of local farmers.

Every Tuesday and Friday from 9:00 to 14:00.