Chroniclers referred to Puntallana as the seventh kingdom of the i sland, called Tenagua. This b orough rises from the coastline up to the top of the mountain , tracing a triangle of fertile soil. The hills are blessed by the trade winds which condense on its mountains in a phenomenon known as horizontal rain. This feeds the aquifers which pop up here and there -the fountains and springs of which the people of Puntallana are so proud.
V illages such as La Galga, El Granel, San Juan de Puntallana, Santa Lucía and Tenagua are sited between Barranco de La Galga and Barranco Seco. The borough's sloping profile is marked by nine mountains, with an ecosystem of great botanical value. Its laurisilva woods ( which survive from the T ertiary era) surround the lives of Puntallana's people, who for generations have been able to live on the benefits provided by the earth. Cereals have been the b orough's agricultural product par excellence; from its jetties and prois (the local name for a stone mooring point in an inlet) sailed a great many vessels loaded with wheat and wood for other islands. The economic development of Puntallana has always been subject to the vagaries of crops and the intermittent famines, thus provoking the migration of its people, who crossed the Atlantic in search of new horizons either in Cuba or in Venezuela. Today, vegetables, vines, fruits and, above all, bananas satisfy new market trends. Rural tourism is another economic alternative that is slowly gaining ground .

The legend of THE LOVER'S LEAP

Local oral tradition tells the story of a brave goatherd from La Galga, who was desperately in love with a beautiful peasant girl. She, however, did not return his love,and grew very tired indeed of his constant attention. She sought an escape. Eventually she set him an impossible task.

The local goatherds used a long, stout pole to travel up and down the steep hillsides, often making spectacular leaps with it, something like pole vaulting. The young girl told her admirer that she would marry him if he used his pole to make three semi-circular leaps from a cliff-edge out over the abyss.

Obviously this was extremely dangerous, and she expected him to refuse, but the goatherd agreed. Madly in love, he entrusted his soul to God, to the Virgin and to his beloved. Amazingly he succeeded in the first two attempts, owing to his unusual strength and skill. But he was already tired when he attempted the third leap, and he dropped down the cliff to his death.

The girl lost her sanity and mourned for him every one of her remaining days. This place has been known under the name of El Salto del Enamorado ever since. 

ANCESTRAL customs

The immense and powerful o cean that dies against the coastline used to be a source of inspiration from which many of the m y sterious stories traditionally told were drawn. Like the one told about La Cueva del Infierno (Hell's Cave), in which pirates and corsairs kept their treasures from curious eyes. The story is that t he Devil lived in the darkness of this cavity, fifteen meters below the sea level, straight down the eternal fire. Since the Devil is believed to be at large on San Bartolome's day, Puntallana's people try to keep him away by arranging garlic and bows to tie to his testicles.
In Puntallana, the attraction towards fire reveals itself year after year on the evening before St John's day . This element, together with water, air and earth , create s a magic in which people blindly trust. 
The correct interpretation of these natural symbols will foretell those events of the forthcoming year. This way people can tell whether they will survive, whether they will be healthy, and if they will bear a child or marry their true love.

TRADITIONS linked to the sea, to the greenwood, and to cereal fields

Several traditions are derived from making the most of what nature provides locally. These are mostly linked to the sea and to monteverde (the greenwood, found on the strip of land kept moist by the trade winds).
The locals used to descend to the headland on the coast known as Punta Salinas as though it were a pilgrimage, to collect the precious salt, limpets, winkles, etc., a wealth offered by the o cean when calm.
On the other hand , the luxuriant vegetation was another source of riches , since it provided different sorts of wood, thus contributing to the local economy.
Yet the thing which characterizes this b orough best is cereals. Puntallana was the granary of the i sland in olden times; place-names such as El Granel (the abundance), Puerto Paja (Straw Port) or Puerto Trigo (Wheat Port) testify to the importance this crop once had. Produce like barley, rye, wheat, oats, corn, and lupins were grown, harvested, threshed, roasted and ground.
The ethereal wind separated the straw from the grain in the cobbled threshing floors while it drove the sails of the wind mills on the heights.
The fruit of all this labour was gofio ; various kinds of grains were roasted, then mixed and ground to produce this nourishing flour which originates from the Canary Islands. The aborigines treasured it, and the millstones have never stopped turning since then.

FESTIVITIES that run between magic and religion

Many celebrations joyfully keep tradition alive . The most important of all is the feast of Saint John (San Juan) on June 24 th . On the previous evening, bonfires enclose the magical and shortest night of the year. Fire purifies souls, chases witchcraft away and protects those who jump over its flames against d i seases and bad luck.
There was a time when the pilgrimage setting off from Santa Lucía was one of the most crowded of the i sland. Her image, adorned with flowers and fruits, was taken in a sailing procession. This sea-flavoured festivity has faded away with the pass of time; nonetheless, every 13th December the Virgin is clothed in her best dress.
San Bartolomé's main street is also decorated on August 24th, when the all-popular grape harvest starts.
The other noteworthy festivals are the festivity of La Cruz which takes place on May 3rd; and the festivity of the Sacred Heart (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) in Tenagua at the beginning of July.

HANDICRAFT

Handicraft, closely related to the most modest social classes, becomes an economic necessity in hard times . Peasants take advantage of their leisure time while the elderly use their inescapably idle years to develop their abilities and spend their time working on inherited crafts with a great skill.

Basketwork made out of rye straw is well rooted in the cereal tradition of Puntallana; but wicker, chestnut and cane are also used to make more solid baskets for heavier loads .
Besides, women with access to pincushions, thimbles, needles and thread put their expert stitches into tablecloths, cushions, table covers, sheets... thus creating a fine array of embroidery articles.
Needlework, traditional pottery, confectionery and so on widen the range of handicraft products sold at Casa Luján.
We must not fail to mention the job carried out by shoemakers, one that has nearly fallen into oblivion. A smell of leather and rubber pervades the workshop where the traditional shoes and other high quality goods are made out of freshly tanned skin.

GASTRONOMY

Gofio is the most typical product; it is always present on Canarian tables, together with cheese, wrinkly potatoes , mojo ( a sauce of garlic and herbs ) or fruits, although in Puntallana it is mixed with honey, raisins, almonds and sweet wine.
La Galga in particular has a deeply-rooted tradition of cooking desserts , marmalade and different sorts of jam, spirits and fruits in syrup. 

SUGGESTIONS

One possibility to among many to consider is the walk along Procession St reet, which runs just behind the church of San Juan. This takes the visitor to where the most prestigious families decided to site the village settlement. From its promontory Casa Luján enhances the beauty of the village, surrounded as it is by small houses built under the influence of traditional rural architecture. The road ends up by St John's Spring ( el fuente de San Juan ) , where the stroller will be able to quench his or her thirst.
Trekking through the laurisilva woods found in El Cubo de La Galga , the visitor will enter a world made of luxuriant green shadows and of an orchestra running water . 
Those mountain-bikers who enjoy a challenge may follow the hard steep track that winds from El Granel to the top of Pico de la Nieve. 

PLACES OF INTEREST

Mirador de Las Vueltas de San Juanito

On the way to Puntallana the visitor may halt at Las Vueltas de San Juanito, which lies beside the dry ravine (Barranco Seco) on the b orough's eastern boundary. From this viewpoint a magnificent landscape stretches below. The ridges of Mazo, the Breñas and Santa Cruz drop from the island's spine towards the deep blue ocean.


Playa Nogales

The viewpoint looks out on to the beach, that invitingly offers itself, wild and beautiful, as if protected by the vertical cliffs that shape Puntallana's abrupt coastline. Long ago turtles crept along its sand to lay their eggs within the warm blackness of this safe shelter.
The beach is reached by following the winding path which runs at the foot of the cliff; within half an hour, the finest beach of the island lies before you .


Templo de San Juan

With its stone body and steel frame, the belfry of the Church of St John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista)seems to reach for the sky. The Church was built after the Conquista -the Conquest- but had to be rebuilt in the XVIIIth century. Within its stone walls the visitor will find a superb baroque altarpiece in which stands a Flemish carving of the saint dating from the XVIth century.
Its magnificent coffered ceiling is painted in shades of blue , and it is one of the many samples of mudéjar (Moorish) style which may be seen on the i sland.


Casa Luján

This large stately home dating from the XIXth century stands in San Juan. Its builders used stone, tiles and seasoned timber in the construction , and followed the local building standards of the past century.
The antique furniture, decorative pieces as well as the drapery and upholstery found in its several rooms enliven the scenery of a long-lost life-style, today an interesting and fine Ethnographic Museum (open from 10 to 13 a.m. , and from 4 to 6 p.m.).
In this building, formerly the Town Hall and then the School, are placed the offices of

The offices of both the Turismo Rural Isla Bonita (La Palma Rural Tourism) and Centro de Promoción y Venta de Artesanía Tradiconal (Centre for Traditional Handicraft Promotion and Sales) are in this building, which used to be the town hall and then the school.


St John's Spring ( Fuente de San Juan )

Under the generous shade of the trees, the gentle song of the water announces the spring, whose tinkling water was once used as a domestic supply. As such, it was a daily meeting point among villagers , where friendships were formed and romance blossomed.
Not far from the main spring, the stroller will find the fuentiña (little fountain) where women used to wash linen and clothes; and the troughs from which animals quenched their thirst. Every year, the Patron Saint is taken out in a procession to thank h im for the precious life-giving liquid.

St. Bart's Hermitage and viewpoint (Ermita y miradores de San Bartolomé)

At the foot of Montaña de La Galga the visitor will find the small hermitage of San Bartolomé, which dates from the XVIth century. Our Virgen Lady of Piety ( La Virgen de Nuestra Señora de La Piedad ) rests within the hush of its whitewashed walls. Close to it there are two fine viewpoints which offer a dramatic scenery of ridges, mountains, deep ravines, hills and steep rocks overlooking the sea. Small houses are scattered within the luxuriant, dark green vegetation as if in a misty water-colour. From this vantage point one can also see the cliffs on which the unfortunate goatherd met his death. (See The Lover's Leap, above.)

Cardonal de Martín Luis

The Barranco del Agua, Site of Scientific Interest, runs for 3 km between Tenagua and San Juan de Puntallana. This site is home to a striking collection on Xerophilous (drought-loving) endemic species of the Canaries. Species including cardón (Euphorbia canariensis), tabaiba (Euphorbia obtusifolia) , retama /White Broom (Retama monosperma) , cornical (Periploca laevigata) etc. spread throughout these volcanic slopes in between the banana plantations, which are extensive in the coastal area of this borough.

Piedra Llana

At 2,321 meters above sea level, this is the highest point of the borough, perched on the very ridge of La Caldera and within the boundaries of Parque Natural de Las Nieves. The aboriginals left their mark up here,where the pine wood blends into montane ecosystem. There are remains of huts , cairns , rock engravings, pottery and stone fragments.
Near the mountain ridge the visitor will be able to see one of the works of the well-known artist from Lanzarote, Cesar Manrique, which he dedicated to the union of the peoples of the world in the observation of the Universe.

Hermitage of St Lucia ( Ermita de Santa Lucía )

The village of Santa Lucía nestles near t he mountain of Tenagua, a natural vantage point from which the natives watched the horizon out to sea . It is surrounded by tall palm trees and long- abandoned cereal fields, and i n the middle of the village stands the hermitage of Santa Lucía, which shelters the serene-faced statue of the Virgen of St Lucia ( Virgen de Santa Lucía) , a Flemish carving dating from the XVIth century. People from every corner of the i sland come to h er to pray for a healthy eyesight.


El Cubo de La Galga

The deep ravine, Barranco de La Galga, submerges the visitor into a world where mist hides m y sterious nooks, and ancient woods take full advantage of the moisture left by the trade winds as they are forced upwards by the mountain.
Members of the laurel family - tiles, viñátigos, barbusanos, and laurel - together with a multitude ferns, form the laurasilva forest, which feels gigantic in comparison to the deep shady gorges eroded by running waters.
In the thickness of the greenwood, the silence is broken by the wings of pigeons endemic to the Canaries: palomas turqué and palomas rabiche, and the subtle rustling of a million living creatures wandering in the undergrowth.

Copyright. Asociación para el Desarrollo Rural de la Isla de La Palma ( ADER-La Palma ). (Association for the Rural Development of the Island of La Palma)