Icod de los Vinos Travel Guide
Thick pine forests descend smoothly on the backdrop of Icod de los Vinos, giving the illusion that this municipality in Tenerife is perched alongside hanging gardens. Located northwest of the island, the town is known for offering spectacular views of the Teide Volcano, as well as its high-altitude vineyards, orchards, and banana plantations that pave way for a lively commerce.
Laidback feel
Founded in 1501, Icod is a collection of ancient palaces, and colonial houses, convents and churches. The town's name was coined by the former menceyato (king) of Icoden, a kingdom that once ruled over the city, from which the town and its present inhabitants, the Spanish-speaking Icods or Icodenses, got their name.
Such history is the foundation of the city's landmarks that center on the variedly vegetated Plaza de Lorenzo Caceres, where the Monument of Jose Antonio Paez, father of Venezuelan independence, stands. Paez's ancestors came from Icod.
Historical curiosity
The Museo de Arte Sacro and the Church of San Marcos are also located in the plaza. The 16th-century church is made in traditional Canary Gothic style, with a stone bell tower, side chapels, and paintings and statues of famous Catholic saints. According to tradition, the church is where the aboriginal Guanches venerated Saint Marcos' icon before their conquests. On the town's coast is the Playa de San Marcos where the saint's venerated statue was said to have been mysteriously found.
Near the plaza is Parque del Drago, which contains the town's symbol, the 1000-year-old Drago de Icod or Dragon Tree. Adjacent to the tree is the Plaza de la Pila, considered as among the Canaries' most beautiful parks for its botanical garden, hermitages, and grand old homes like the Casa de los Caceres, which is now a museum.
Believed to be the world's largest volcanic cave, Cueva del Viento or Cave of the Wind has a 14-meter lava tube whose walls are embossed with fossils.
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