The history of Adeje town
The original inhabitants of Tenerife were the Guanche people who had a Scandinavian appearance, and even today you can see many native Tinerfeños descended from the Guanches.
This is a brief history of Adeje town.
Adeje means “mountain massif”. Nowadays is now one of the most important tourist cities in the Canary Islands. It has always been the state where the “menceys”, or monarchs of Tenerife, was located. With Tinerfe el Grande (Tinerfe the Great), one of the original Guanche “menceys”, this tradition ends. His children end up dividing the island into nine menceyatos Guanches, or native kingdoms. In this division, Adeje remains in the hands of the Guanche Pelinor, who did not hesitate to accept the Spanish rules throughout the colonisation. Pelinor was given a Christian name, Don Diego de Adeje, and some lands, and therefore he ended up being the only Guanche on the island who continued to live there after the colonisation.
La Casa Fuerte castle In Adeje, June 2021
In 1494 the Spaniards conquered the island of Tenerife and two years later they began controlling the new lands. Don Juan Bautista de Ponte y Pagés got the jurisdiction of Adeje as lordship and the title of Villa until the Constitution of Cádiz in 1812.
During the 19th century, Adeje resisted pretty well the socioeconomic crisis that hit the rest of the island, thanks to the fact that it had water, which was scarce in the rest of the territory. This allowed the development of agriculture and livestock, besides fishing. Tomatoes and bananas were the major export crops, contributing to the growth of the town.
Today, Adeje´s territory is 105.95 km² and is one of the most populated municipalities on the island, with almost 50,000 inhabitants. Its primary activity is tourism, a sector that shows its capacity for development and renewal every year, highlighting its Costa Adeje name both nationally and internationally. Adeje is only 5 min. drive from Habitats Del Duque in Costa Adeje.
Adeje Town Hall on Calle Grande Nº1
Fuentes de Adeje, Water sources
Santa Ursula church on Calle Grande St.
Adeje Cannon in front of Casa Fuerte Castle