Hotels in Ingenio

Ingenio

Ingenio is a town in the east of Gran Canaria with around 33,000 inhabitants, set on a slope some 550 metres above sea level between the ravines of Guayadeque and Draguillo. It lies about 27 km south of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and 14 km from Telde, and Gran Canaria Airport stands within the municipality, in its eastern part. The historic quarter centres on the Plaza de La Candelaria with the town hall and the Church of La Candelaria, built in 1901 on the remains of an earlier chapel, with a Gothic altarpiece and bells donated by Canarian emigrants in Cuba. Nearby, the Casa del Reloj belongs to the irrigation community whose farmers set their watches by it to buy water. Ingenio is regarded as the island's leading craft centre, known for openwork embroidery, lace and ceramics, which can be seen at the Museum of Stones and Canarian Crafts and the municipal craft workshop. The Barranco de Guayadeque, shared with Agüimes, is full of natural and man-made caves used as homes and burial sites in pre-Hispanic times, some of them still lived in today. Cave restaurants in the ravine carve their dining rooms into the rock and serve roast goat and pork, and the Guayadeque Museum explains Aboriginal life. The coastal district of Carrizal has the church of the Virgen del Buen Suceso and the Casa del Obispo, a former bishop's residence. On the coast, Playa del Burrero is a 500-metre beach of sand and pebbles with fishing traditions and the 51-metre volcanic rock of El Roque, and its wind and waves suit sailing and windsurfing. Ingenio suits travellers who want the local, authentic side of Gran Canaria away from the resorts, as well as visitors with early flights from the nearby airport.