Montana Roja Medano facts, history and legends

The red mountain Montaña Roja was respected by the Tenerife's former natives the Guanches. They looked up in awe to its height just like they did with the much taller Mount Teide.

Nothing is known about pyramids in its vicinity, though.

The Red Mountain vicinity El Medano on a map

More about the red volcano of the region el Medano by the sea

• Heigt: 171 meters
• Surface? Over 166 hectares
• Location: South of airport Reina Sofia of Tenerife at el Medano of Granadilla de Abona
• Geology: Stratovolcanic
• Vegetation? Slowly recovering endemic growth
• Surroundings? Dunes, wetlands and nature reserve, Naturist beach Playa La Tejita and camping facilities


La Montana Roja with beautiful beach landscape, nature and driftwood street art in the foreground


• Strong summer Tradewinds from NNE and other winds from NE
• Average yearly temperatures? About 21 degrees Celsius
• General rainfall? just over 30 days
• Scientific interest and geological facts by the Red Mountain Montana Roja

By the way, the Montaña Bocinegro is an outcrop of the Red mountain that points east and extends towards the bay of El Medano.

Grazing?

Goats and pigs were not taken to graze on the red rocks by the Neolithic people of Tenerife .

Religious cults and witches

Little has been reported, as the extreme south was hardly known at the time of the Tenerife conquest.

Perhaps witches of that indigenous people held their coven by relatively calm Playa La Tejita. It is very possible that they bathed in the ocean under a full moon, as happened by the beach of las Teresitas by San Andres.

Beñesmer games at Montana Roja

We know for a fact that they had water sports and games at El Medano. Montaña Bocinegro a part of Montana Roja where calmer seas wash up at Playa Tejita must have been ideal. This happened during the celebrations after their year end harvest according to their own calendar at the time of Beñesmer or Beñesmen. The last Guanche royal rulers of the region were the Menceys Adguaxoña Adxoña. They were part of an important kingdom of South Tenerife before Spain took over 100 years later in 1494.

Magalaes and the Red Mountain region

This same region is said to have attracted the Portuguese explorer Fernao de Magalhaes with his five ships at the end of September in 1519. That means that a good source of drinking water may have existed at El Medano, unless Magalhaes got it at Portugal's Island of Guinea Bisao where he also passed before turning to the right. At the time he was on his way to find the alternative route to India which became known as the Strait of Maghallan in the South of today's Punta Arenas of Patagonia of Argentina

That means that a good source of drinking water may have existed at El Medano, unless Magalhaes the explorer got it at Portugal's Island of Guinea Bisao where he also passed before turning to the right. At the time he was on his way to find the alternative route to India which became known as the Strait of Maghallan in the South of today's Punta Arenas of Patagonia.

Granadilla legends, poetry and songs

Much later, songs and poetry were written about this site and stories were told about tragic women.

The most legendary was Peña Maria whose lover made a fortune in the Colonies, but never made it home. Some women climbed the elevation of the red rocks of El Medano on the look out for a lost fisherman or for a lover that was due to return from the Americas. Eventually,some drowned themselves and their sorrows by the Bocinegro of the red peak.

Perhaps, the Kentish Plover the Charadrius Alexandrinus or Chortilejo Patinegro the most famous endemic bird of the region will tweet the stories of the past to its offsprings a while longer. Why? This lovely Tenerife wetland bird is endangered now.

Tenerife's only saint

The shrine of a large cave of the region reminds the only Tenerife saint Hermano Pedro.

From Montana Roja back to El Medano Tenerife

Academical case study of Montana Roja environmental issue

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