The Tower of Adeje (La Torre de Adeje) on Tenerife is located in the historical center of Adeje, more precisely at the Plaza de España, right next to the Iglesia de Santa Úrsula. This central location is the cultural and historical heart of the municipality of Adeje, in the southwest of Tenerife.
This site is easily accessible and, together with the church, the town hall, and the view over the Barranco del Infierno, forms one of the most visited and photographed places in the village. The tower is part of a broader architectural redevelopment of the square and the underlying spaces — now known as the Espacio de Historia y Arte El Barranco.
Connection between heaven and earth
This location and the adjacent areas, which rest on an old municipal ossuary, were renovated in 2010. There lay the remains of residents of Adeje from before the 19th century. The solution came by asking the question, ‘How do you honor those who are no longer here without letting go of the present?’ How do you create a space that engages in dialogue with history without being trapped in it?
That was the complex task the municipality of Adeje faced during the redevelopment of the Tower and its surroundings, in the heart of the Plaza de España. The result: a space where art coexists with the remains of the village’s earliest inhabitants, and where light and stone guide the way.
Memorial
The Tower of Adeje rises above the historic center of the municipality, while at the same time delving deep into its past. It stands 24 meters tall, plus 1.5 meters for the bell tower. The structure towers above the center with the same intensity with which it descends underground.
The local government renovated this site in 2010, located on an old municipal ossuary. There lay the remains of Adeje residents from before the 19th century — anonymous people, far removed from the history books, who worked the land and laid the foundations of the municipality, long before the economic boom driven by tourism.
Mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga highlights the deep historical connection between the Villa and the marquises, and indicates his intention to establish a memorial or a permanent chapel in this space — recently used for the Holy Week proclamation — dedicated to the ancestors of Adeje.
Funerary customs
The history of this place is closely linked to the evolution of funerary practices. Until the early 19th century, the deceased were buried around the parish of Santa Úrsula. But a law from November 6, 1813, prohibited burials within populated areas, obliging municipalities to build cemeteries outside the town centers.
In Adeje, that order faced obstacles. The available land belonged to the estate of the Casa Fuerte, necessitating negotiations with the marquises. In 1837, the construction was completed at the current location of El Calvario. By that time, human remains had been accumulating for over a century.
Pathway
The architectural intervention of the Plaza de España and the adjoining spaces, designed by Fernando Martín Menis, began in 2009 and was completed after a year of work, with the aim of redefining the historical heart of Adeje.
The interior space, beneath the square, was initially intended as a sacred museum. Today, it is known as the Espacio de Historia y Arte, El Barranco. Reinforced concrete and black basalt stone flooring were used in its construction.
Inside, there is a three-level pathway, one of which features a thin sheet of water — just ten centimeters deep — creating a visual effect of depth. Light, shadow, and the materials used create a solemn atmosphere. According to Mayor Fraga, it is a “telluric place, mystical and extraordinarily captivating,” a space that compels one to look back, to the ancestors, in order to understand where the village comes from.
Symbol
“Our intention with this tower and the interior space was to honor the memory of our ancestors. It is a tribute to those who passed through this village,” said Fraga. In doing so, he points to an important idea: history is not only in the archives, it lives in the soil and in the way a community chooses to remember its past residents.
The Tower of Adeje on Tenerife is a symbol that reaches towards the sky and simultaneously descends into the depths, toward what is hidden from view: death. A recognition of those who worked the land and made possible the existence and continuity of this municipality.
Diario de Avisos © Photography
The Tower of Adeje on Tenerife ©
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