Chimiche: Danza de Varas and Culture

Chimiche is known for its special dance tradition, the Casa de la Cultura and the route through Granadilla de Abona. This route passes through the small village; the PR-TF 83.1, 83.3 and 83.5 trails begin in Las Vegas. When planning, this allows you to distinguish between Chimiche’s cultural attractions and the specific trails that start in Las Vegas.

Danza de Varas: A Tradition in the Procession

The Danza de Varas de Chimiche is the only dance form in the Canary Islands to use decorated poles. Parents pass them down to their children. The dance is performed during the respective festivals in Chimiche and Las Vegas, where it leads the midday procession. Both its transmission within families and its role in the festivities are distinctive features of this tradition.

Cultural Activities in Chimiche

The Casa de la Cultura de Chimiche hosts various cultural and social activities throughout the year. These include painting and folk-dance classes; the schedules for these classes may vary. The building also has a study and reading room with a large collection of books and encyclopedias. The collection may change.

The Casa de la Cultura has occasionally been used for theatre, music and dance performances, as well as photography and art exhibitions. The musical group Sentir sureño is also part of the cultural life of the area: it was founded in mid-2006 to promote and disseminate the music of its own region in its own style. Its music is considered original and highly innovative within Canarian folk music.

Hiking Trails and Route

The PR-TF 83.3 runs from Las Vegas to El Aserradero, is 6.6 kilometres long and is signposted as a short hiking trail. Parque Pino Las Jabas lies along the way. The site was formerly used as a pasil for drying fruit, especially figs. Its length and endpoints provide a clear framework for planning this route.

The PR-TF 83.5 begins beside the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de La Esperanza in Las Vegas. The chapel is considered an important religious and heritage building; one of its distinctive features is an unusual bell tower. The trail leads to the ethnographic complex of Los Hibrones. Among the structures preserved there are ovens, livestock shelters, traditional houses, a threshing floor and a pasil for drying figs. The PR-TF 83.5 also passes abandoned cultivated land surrounded by Canary Island pines.

The PR-TF 83.1 climbs from Las Vegas through cultivated land with water channels and irrigation ditches, passing cave houses along the way. At Risco del Muerto, it enters a pine forest. The trails described therefore differ in their focus: for the PR-TF 83.3, the length and endpoints are the main details, while the information on the PR-TF 83.5 and PR-TF 83.1 highlights the chapel, heritage and landscape.

The Granadilla de Abona route passes through Chimiche, crosses the old TF-28 southern road and follows the TF-555 towards Las Vegas. Check current trail and road conditions before setting out on a hike.

Discover more destinations: La Mareta, El Salto, Amarilla Golf, Atogo, San Isidro, El Médano, Palomas.

Return to the main travel overview: Granadilla De Abona.