Casa de los Balcones

About the museum

The Casa de los Balcones is a mansion in La Orotava whose construction dates back to 1632, when Juana García Nieto and Juan de Castro Bazo commissioned a three-storey house, later known as the Casa Fonseca. Local craftsmen worked on it, including the woodcarver Andrés García Ramos, the blacksmith Juan Bautista Cutiños and the carpenter Manuel de Vera.

The house passed through several noble families. As the couple who commissioned it had no children, it was inherited by a nephew, and later by the nephew’s daughter, who married a Fonseca; that lineage died out in the 1830s. The house was then left abandoned until it was bought by Antonio Díaz-Flores Cartaya, and eventually it passed to the Machado family.

In 1940 Eladia Machado opened a shop and founded the craft school “Virgen de Candelaria”, devoted to openwork (calados) and to drawn-thread embroidery (bordado de hilo sacado), typical of La Orotava. Her nephew Carlos Schönfeldt Machado turned the house into a visitable craft complex when tourism grew after the opening of the Los Rodeos airport.

Today the visit covers the Canarian courtyard with its large gallery of wooden balconies, the old wine press (lagar), a bedroom, the dining room, the drawing room, the pantry with a food safe (fresquera) and the kitchen, furnished in the style of Canarian life at the end of the 19th century. The craftspeople of the openwork workshop work in view of visitors, and the house has a shop selling crafts, food products and jewellery made from volcanic stone. The complex also includes the Casa Eladia Machado, the Palacio Lercaro and the Molino de Gofio del Hoyo.

Highlights

• Canarian courtyard with a gallery of wooden balconies and an old wine press
• Furnished rooms in the style of the late 19th century
• Openwork workshop and traditional embroidery of La Orotava
• Audioguide in five languages
• Complex including Casa Eladia Machado, Palacio Lercaro and Molino de Gofio del Hoyo

Permanent exhibitions

• Casa-museo: patio, lagar y estancias – Route through the courtyard with its gallery of balconies, the wine press and the rooms furnished in the Canarian style of the late 19th century.
• Casa Eladia Machado – Former convent with a Plateresque doorway, housing an exhibition of Canarian crafts and the painting gallery of Mohamed Osman.

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The second floor is reached by an old spiral staircase, which is not accessible for people with reduced mobility. The accessible visit covers the ground floor and the wine press.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The house is in the historic quarter of La Orotava, on the calle San Francisco.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Wi-Fi

There is no cloakroom, so visiting without large bags is recommended. Wi-Fi is available for ticket holders (the password is requested from staff), with access points in the Casa de los Balcones and in the restaurant of the Palacio Lercaro. Toilets are free for visitors with a ticket. The shop (Boutique del Mago) sells traditional costumes, openwork, food products and jewellery made from volcanic stone.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Spaces can be rented for celebrations (weddings, christenings, first communions), business meetings, conferences, exhibitions and film shoots; film shoots require a prior booking.

Plan your visit