Photo: Wolfgang Sauber · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Museo Etnográfico Casas Cuevas de Artenara

Ethnographic museum in a group of inhabited cave dwellings in Artenara, showing traditional domestic life on the summit of Gran Canaria; free admission.

Opening hoursFree admission

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About the museum

Artenara, on the summit of Gran Canaria, is known as the village of the cave houses. The museum occupies a group of caves carved into the rock that probably served as dwellings for the pre-Hispanic population. In 1962 Santiago Aranda inherited them and restored them, respecting the characteristics of the village’s traditional housing. In 1993 the Artenara town council acquired them and turned them into a museum of domestic ethnography.

The route passes through a garden courtyard and the various rooms, furnished with typical pieces from the area and from the period, between 50 and 150 years old. In the bedrooms there are iron beds, bedspreads and cloths made locally, and chests of drawers made of cedar and tea pine wood. There is also the kitchen, the cellar, the laundry and a cave devoted to trades representative of Artenara, such as pottery and weaving.

The museum evokes a simple way of life and aims to remind visitors that one can live with fewer superfluous needs. From the courtyard you can enjoy the silence and the views towards the Cuenca de Tejeda and the Barranco Grande. Groups may request guided visits in advance.

Highlights

Caves furnished with traditional furniture and utensils from the summit of Gran Canaria
Bedrooms, kitchen, cellar and laundry
Cave devoted to trades such as pottery and weaving
Garden courtyard with views over the Cuenca de Tejeda
Free admission

Permanent exhibition

Casas Cuevas de Artenara – Group of caves with bedrooms, kitchen, cellar, laundry and a cave of traditional trades, furnished with typical local pieces.

Founded: 1993
Operated by: Ayuntamiento de Artenara