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La Oliva, FuerteventuraYou are here: Fuerteventura > Information Pages > Towns & Villages > La Oliva
Once upon a time, when Fuerteventura was green, the delightfully charming town of La Oliva was named after the abundance of Olive trees that grew in the area. Today the Olive trees may have gone, but the pretty town certainly remains. La Oliva was, for a short time, the capital of Fuerteventura, between the original island capital of Betancuria, and today’s capital of Puerto del Rosario. La Oliva remains an important town on the island, being the administrative centre for the municipality of La Oliva, which includes the main tourist resort of Corralejo and the smaller resort of El Cotillo. Today the town is very tranquil, with streets lined with the occasional palm tree, and the majority of the traffic coming from the tourists who pass through in their rented cars, on their way to investigate further inland. La Oliva lives on agriculture, its goatherds, and its famous cheese. The area is also very well known for its crafts, and you can find beautiful embroidery and basketwork here. Many historians believe that La Oliva was the original seat of the pre-Hispanic kingdom of Maxorata, one of the two tribal kingdoms that made up the island until the arrival of Jean de Bethancourt in the early 15th century. The town did go on to become the centre of the political and social life of the island when, in 1708, the military governors, the colonels, decided to set up permanent residence here. The colonel’s government of Fuerteventura was initially established to undermine the nobility, but the military took the opportunity to subdue the local peasants, thus managing to become the owners of all the surrounding land in the process. The colonels abused their power so much so that, in 1834, the government in Madrid ordered the disbandment of the militias and the La Oliva regiment. In 1912 the island, along with others in the archipelago, was granted a degree of self-administration with the installation of the ‘cabildo’ (local authority). The past, however, is still very much in evidence in the La Oliva of today. The huge town square, and the local sports facilities, for example, does not seem in keeping with this modest little town. Even the local houses seem rather grander than their counterparts in other areas of the Fuerteventura. There are a few very elegant buildings, the best example of colonial Canarian architecture being the Casa de los Coroneles (House of the Colonels). This palace/fortress was built in the 18th century, and is now listed as a Historic Artistic Monument. At the front can still be seen the huge monumental gate topped by the heraldic shield of the powerful Manrique de Lara y Cabrera family, who owned a huge estate that was acquired through the power of the colonels. Also worth a look is the parish church of La Oliva, the Candelaria. It is a fine, solid building with three naves and an exceptional bell tower, built of black stone. |
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