View of the coast of Los Cristianos. Isla de Tenerife, 1920
Here is a selection of images of when tourism development began in the south of Tenerife, around the small fishing village of Los Cristianos.
To 1960, some visitors Nordic climatic advantages discovered south of the island of Tenerife. By the end of that decade had installed some nursing home dedicated to the recovery of pulmonary and physical rehabilitation during the Northern Hemisphere winter season. These early adopters were the catalysts unique colonization unprecedented tourism has generated a real city in just half a century.
At that time, access road south of the island was extremely difficult effort requiring several hours to traverse settlements that dotted the mediocrity of the south side of the island. The southern highway linking the capital Santa Cruz with the peoples of the south of the island starting as a branch from the junction of the Hill on the outskirts of the city and connecting on Candelaria, Guimar, Fasnia, Arico and Granadilla and finally to Los Cristianos from the top of Arona.
The spatial pattern of Tenerife Island Plan. Doxiadis Iberian, 1972
An idea for planning urban island, the Island Plan 1972, designed by Doxiadis Iberian naturalization papers give a series of initiatives that would transform a radically the way they interacted with the island of Tenerife, communications, its economy, etc.. That document would provide the outline of a new way of communication and connection with the south island it would be critical to the territorial model change, la autopista the TF-1. Beside it also designing a battery of infrastructure and land allocations that have scheduled the development of the island along fifty years. This is the case of the Reina Sofia airport, the port and industrial area of Granadilla, the allocation of the coast for tourist use, etc..
The House of Sweden, located off the coast of Los Cristianos. 1964
In the early years 70 begin to emerge and buildings for service that demand was beginning to emerge regarding the use of the shoreline for swimming and sunlight. In Los Cristianos, pioneering facility would be known as home of the Swedish, it would be at one end of the beach and, nowadays, is immersed inside the urban continuum giving coastal walk against pedestrian. Behind her the project would Wintersol, a health facility and rationally planned and would include services and spaces for rehabilitation. It would be an exemplary work of architects Saavedra Diaz Llanos and serve as a reference for much of the later buildings designed, in one way or another, to welcome new visitors from northern Europe.
In ten years would incorporate numerous buildings to small fishing village of Los Cristianos which would radically transform primitive morphology on very flimsy. It would be the definition of the development adjoining Americas when truth be projected tourist city on stronger technical basis, again according to the functional design of Doxiadis Iberian.
The images here together, somehow reflect this early stage of the development of a territory which today has become one of the motors that move the economy of the island of Tenerife.
The beach of Los Cristianos in 1960
The coast of the bay of Los Cristianos in 1950. This already built the house 'Tavío
The main street and the church square, view from the old Hostal Reveron
Models with new buildings tourist destination. Los Cristianos, 1968
Wintersol, Thalassotherapy and rehabilitation facility. Diaz Llanos Saavedra, architects. 1970
The fact that the change that has taken the island in recent 50 years is amazing and indescribable, I am aware of the change of the last 20 somber and every time I think about it… My father and my uncles who have seen the growth of the islands and have witnessed while working in construction; always talk about when the Christians were Medano or fishing villages where even offered them land donated for that build a house and live there remain for… Awesome.
I appreciate these unforgettable memories, with 7 years we put the tent, next to the boats, I family no tenia even going to Reverón…Thanks.
Although I always liked the Medano, which enjoyment and having 14-18 years old, and I've seen pictures of today have left me perplexed and very impressed, I do not 20 years old…
It is only when we are aware, such images- of the magnitude of what has changed the territory everywhere . Probably, is the inexorable march of history that we did not worry when some were little, fifty years ago. Hence, lately I've been compiling some views of Canary and post here, commented with my thoughts.
Estimated D. Federico García, thank you very much for delight in these images. The town of Los Cristianos has special interest to me, a “flavor” special, because for a while I was doing field work in it and also in their environment due to various projects. From there I have a special affection for this city. This is so I highly recommend reading the following book:
“Galvan Tudela, J. A., Gonzalez Lemus, N., Moore, K. And. and Hernandez Armas, R. (2004) Winter sun. Tribute to Swedish tourism Arona, Tourist Board of the City of Arona and Ediciones Llanoazur, Arona, 157 pages”.
For aquellos / as interested / as, wrote a review of that book I published in the journal Polygons, nº 14, pages 204-208.