San Andrés and Sauces spreads over a 44-square-kilometre area between Puntallana and Barlovento. Its landscape is shaped by deep ravines and irregular ridges , where eighteen different villages are to be found, the largest of which is Los Sauces , the county town.
The b orough faces north-east, due to which -and to its steep terrain - the water in the trade winds condenses on its mountains . This creates the phenomenon known as horizontal rain, so vital to feed the important aquifers which maintain the exuberant laurisilva woods, recently declared a precious Biosphere Reserve.
Impressive pine-trees grow on the high mountains of the b orough, whereas the strip of land near the coast, once speckled by a number of thermophile (heat loving) forest species , is today taken up by banana plantations. Within the Barranco de San Juan, right in its riverbed , the visitor can find the famous archaeological site known as El Tendal, a testament to the old Adeyahamen inhabitants' occupation of the area.
Agriculture, the main economic activity, sketche s beautiful landscapes of banana plantations, yam fields and vineyards, around which flows a multi-rooted architectural style , such as in Los Galgitos, where old thatched cottages can still be found; whitewashed large houses, hermitages and churches all constitute the identity of the prosperous borough of San Andrés y Sauces.

OLD CUSTOMS linked to water

La Palma's inhabitants have developed, throughout the centuries, a number of peculiar customs linked to the use of water. The b orough's rich aquifers fed by snow, rain and cloud condensation were not always generous. When all the springs died and fields suffered from drought , the old people of the i sland resorted to rites and offered their gods their engraved stones to beg for fertility and abundance from them.

G alleries and wells are derived from the need to exploit this hidden- underground natural resource. Modern Palmerans have built cisterns by their houses, as well as reservoirs and tanks where possible... in order to treasure this life-giving resource . More than one hundred and fifty galleries have been excavated with the effort of a great many labourers who toiled without any guarantee of success , for no-one could tell in advance whether water would eventually be found. Beasts of burden provided workers with the necessary tools to breach the steep ground. The cabuquero (drill runner), made holes in the rock with a hammer which were filled with gunpowder. O nce this exploded, the waste was taken out loaded on wheelbarrows.

Men shared the labour, of hunting in the bowels of the earth, chasing the dream of precious water. Many a kilometre was dug out using pickaxes and shovels by the light of carbide lamps; the sound of wagons running along the galleries was part of the everyday routine. But the physical effort was not the only investment; huge amounts of money were also poured into this praiseworthy enterprise.

FARMING traditions

Throughout the centuries, the virgin earth in this northern territory was gradually replaced by crops. Sugar-cane, cereals, vines, cochineal and bananas soon became the hall marks of the i sland's local economy.
Landowners fostered sugar-cane plantations as far back as the XVI th century: the production of two sugar mills provided Europe with all the sugar the continent needed. To work efficiently , the mills needed a constant flow of water , a great amount of firewood and many workers. T herefore woods shrank whereas the population of San Andrés y Sauces grew . In the factories, the cane was first pressed, and after a long process sugar, syrup and alcohol were obtained.

But vineyards and cereals slowly replaced the sugar-cane plantations,and at the same time, subsistence farming became more popular.
Around the 1850's the wine market collapsed and tuneras , that is prickly pears , were imported from America and introduced to La Palma's agriculture. The cochineal insect lives on them. Peasants collected the females, whose whitish bodies were dried to produce the red dye right up until synthetic dyes took over.

Nowadays, the landscape is almost monopolised by bananas, but you can see the large leaves of yams growing here and there. Its tuber is simmered for a long time and then eaten together with fish and mojo (garlic and herb sauce); or it may be cooked in vegetable stews or enjoyed as a dessert sweetened with molasses.
Also linked to gastronomy, not far from Puerto Espíndola, lies the only surviving rum distillery in the borough.

LAND AND SEA flavoured festivities

Each village and hamlet holds its traditional fiesta once a year. H ermitages and churches are decorated,and parishioners find an excuse to gather in public squares, while fireworks speckle the sky.
Thus, every December , Christmas carols are sung in front of the live Nativity scene which takes place at the high altar of San Andrés church, whereas the visit of the Three Wise Men is specially colourful in Los Sauces . Shortly afterwards, C arnival takes over. The Sardine's Funeral (or entierro de la sardina ) takes place in March; a flood of people weep the fish's death, which symbolises the end of these happy fesitivites .
At the end of May, crosses are finely garlanded with flowers , and, in June, on Corpus Christi's Day, the statue of Jesus Christ is taken through archways in the streets of San Andres, decorated with astoundingly beautiful religious motifs, made with flowers and seeds.
On the last weekend of June, fruit and flower garlands are hung from the wooden roof of San Pedro's hermitage, where a crowded, country-flavoured pilgrimage takes place.
The sea is also present in the b orough's celebrations; in August, youths refresh themselves participating in the traditional Cucaña, trying to cross the water on a greasy pole. By the middle of August, the Virgen del Carmen festivities cheer up Puerto Espíndola and its people.

The celebrations for Our Lady of Montserrat -Los Sauces's Patron Saint- are easily the most important. They take place during the first fortnight of September.

Saint Andrew's Day, for the Patron Saint of San Andrés, puts an end to the year's festivities in the cool air of November.

SUGGESTIONS

Some of San Andrés y Sauces' assets are the luxuriant vegetation of the b orough's mountains and the salty breeze which lashes its coast. In between these two, many a track and road will bewitch the trekker.
First of all, we suggest a visit to Los Tiles. On the left hand side going up, the visitor will come across the only hydroelectric station on the i slan d. N ext to the Centro de Interpretación (Nature's Interpretation Centre) a path winds its way up to the vantage point known as Mirador de La Baranda, from where the visitor will be able to enjoy a superb panorama of Barranco del Agua before continuing to Los Sauces. A lternatively, you can climb the path that crosses The Biosphere Reserve as far as the famous springs of Marcos y Cordero. This path leads through a peerless scenery : cool landscapes peep from behind lush groves, while bridges, tunnels, and stairs will eventually lead the hik er to Las Lomadas.
But if one's wish is to get to know the villages of the b orough, we suggest a walk, among bananas and yam fields , from the Montserrat piazza in Los Sauces to the old part of San Andrés. The path passes a conical lime kiln stands in the bottom of the ravine; farther down, Charco Azul and Puerto Espíndola will be awaiting swimmers.

SITES OF INTEREST

The Canal and Los Tiles

This delightful gem, which was declared Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO back in 1983, nestles in the mountainous landscape of the north-east of the island.
The Las Nieves Natural Park displays its greatest beauty in Barranco del Agua. Its watercourse has been moulded by the unceasing flowing of waters through thousands of years: erosion has shaped a deep ravine where laurel forest grows , surviving from the Tertiary Era.
Cool, shady paths invite the walker into this varied world of vegetation, made of giant ferns and various trees in the laurel family, ( tiles palos blancos, barbusanos, viñátigos... ) which benefit from the climatic conditions. The abundance of irrigation canals and springs show the importance of the aquifer flowing under this stunning landscape .
The Centro de Visitantes (Visitors' Centre) provides information about the main ecosystems to be found within this 511-hectare Park. T he recreational area and camping site, the viewpoints and paths , have all been designed to enable visitors to admire nature in all its luxuriant glory.

The Church of Our Lady of Monserrat ( Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Montserrat )

Some of the people who founded this borough came from Catalonia, and the devotion paid to Our Lady of Montserrat is ascribed to them. The church was built shortly after the Spanish Conquest ( Conquista ); both its size and style were reformed during the twentieth century. Its thick stone walls shelter valuable works of Flemish art. The carving of the Virgen de la Piedad and the carving and oil painting of Our Lady of Montserrat,are particularly fine.

In front of the church is the big public square, and on the other side of the road, the beautiful gardens of the Antonio Herrera park. Around these flows the life of the main shopping and commercial district of the north of the island.


Barranco de San Juan

This handsome spot lies within the Las Nieves Natural Park. Its distinctive geology is speckled with caves , which in ancient times were dwellings . The most important of these is called Cueva del Tendal, and it has a great archaeological interes t. S everal excavations have been carried out in and around it, and t he results have shed light on the island's pre- history .
The Cuchillete de San Juan is a small promontory which erosion has left isolated in the middle of the ravine. R emains of the old thermophile flora still survive on its rocks, of which Phoneian Junipers, olives, Periploca laevigata (cornicales) and brooms are but a sample.


Puerto Espíndola and Charco Azul

One of the characteristics of La Palma's northern coast is the pounding of the sea against the rocks. However, there are a number of small jetties in the inlets at the mouths of the ravines, and the most historically important of these is Puerto Espíndola.

During the XVI th and XVII th centuries, it was an important port from which vessels sailed for America loaded with wine, rum and cereals. From this natural cove , sugar was sent to Europe , and immigrants departed for faraway countries like Venezuela and Cuba.
Not far from it , the traveller will find Charco Azul, a recreational area by the sea. Some seawater swimming-pools have been created taking advantage of the very natural features of the coastline.

Marcos y Cordero Spring

Going up the steep slope on which stands the village of Las Lomadas , the visitor arrives at the hermitage of St. Peter the Apostle ( San Pedro Apóstol ), built in the XVI th century, which stands, neat and simple, in the middle of a square that looks out on the rural landscape. The casa forestal (house assigned to forest officers) is the starting point of the trail which leads to the most important springs to be found on all the seven Canary islands. The silence is broken only by the chirping of birds and the chuckle of crystal clear water running along the canal . The path leads through narrow tunnels dug at the beginning of this century to reach the springs, and channel the abundantly flowing water. Before then, the water streamed down the ravine and emptied into the sea.

The steep rock walls that enclose this spectacular paradise are covered with the greenness of vegetation.

The visitor will find the hermitage of St. John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista) in the village of Los Galguitos, standing in a public square named after it. The stones of the corners of the building mark out the limits of its rectangular nave which was constructed in the XVI th century,. Narrow windows breach its walls and a Renaissance dome with a glass base crowns the wooden roof.
The surroundings of the hermitage look out on the nearby Cuchillete de San Juan, Los Sauces and San Andrés.


The Old quarter of San Andrés

San Andrés was the area's first colonial settlement. Its cobbled streets will lead the visitor through cosy, picturesque nooks where you can almost breathe the history and tradition. Its church, built in 1515 to honour the Patron Saint , San Andrés Apóstol, (St. Andrew the Apostle) originally had a single nave which was enlarged to its present cross-shaped, Latin form, in later centuries . The three baroque altarpieces within its walls are well worth looking at, and the Flemish carving of Virgen de La Victoria and the baroque carving of Virgen del Rosario are outstanding.
Aristocrat traders and landowners who made their fortunes by growing sugar cane had large, handsome houses built not far from the temple. This beautiful village near the coast amidst luxuriant banana plantations is embellished with big windows, decorated façades and long balconies that were used as verandahs overlooking the ocean. .

"El Regente" Watermill

The abundance of San Andrés y Sauces' water supply made this borough one of the i sland's main economic powerhouses back in the XVI th century. Water was channelled towards the two sugar factories , where the force of the water was also used to grind wheat for the inhabitants of the borough, and for neighbouring Barlovento.
The old mill known as "El Regente", which don Luis de Vandewalle y Quintana had built in 1873, bears witness to the fruitful past of the m unicipality. It stands on ridge , just above Los Sauces. The steep road leading to it is set off by narrow alleyways and picturesque traditional houses.
The mill consists of a house, a tower and an aqueduct, stables and a number of courtyards and patios. The mill's mechanical heart frequently comes to life to show visitors that it still has strength to move its obsolete machinery. Today, the Handicraft Centre and the area's Tourist Information Centre are housed within its walls. Potters, tinsmiths and wool spinners demonstrate their craft in El Regente, where the visitor will be able to purchase, among other things, delicate embroidery, traditional costumes and a varied sample of basketwork made with the rich variety raw materials found in the nearby laurel woods.

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)