Blog Oficial de Turismo de Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria invites you on a journey to follow Galdós’s trail on the island from which the famous writer set sail.

Benito Pérez Galdós, one of the most important European writers in the late 19th and early 20th century, was born on 10 May 1843 in Calle Cano in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Back then it was a cobbled street lit with oil lamps, moonlight and from then on, the brilliance of his genius. What’s more, the centenary of his death is being commemorated in 2020, although his loss was merely like a parenthesis in any of his novels, echoing the true legacy of people claimed by immortality.

The Galdós’s footsteps have been etched on his native city today, providing an open book to reflect the author’s relationship with the capital city of Gran Canaria and successive demonstrations of appreciation and acknowledgement from the island’s society to the author who was born in the family home in Calle Cano, turned into a House-Museum and where you can even see the crib used to rock this baby whose dreams were destined to make their mark through his works.

Dotted across the Island are a great many windmills that were used for a variety of different things from milling grain for flour or “gofio”, pumping water for irrigation or even seawater to be used in the salt pans. Nowadays we’ve got wind turbines too, to help us power the Island. But the idea that somehow ecology is a modern concept is totally misguided. Centuries ago, our ancestors were already using water and wind to power those mills.

Gran Canaria holds many natural and cultural gems seeped in strong symbolism right now.

1. Seeds of hope
Few things embody and symbolise life and the future so profoundly as a seed. Gran Canaria can boast seeds that have been capable of stepping through time to remain in the same spot. Genetic studies have demonstrated that the type of barley still grown on the island today is the same as the ancient prehispanic society planted here more than one thousand years ago. This small miracle of resilience remains wrapped up in the seeds prized by the people living inland in the mid-lands and on the peaks. Their simple gesture keeps the harvest of hope going.

Gran Canaria is one of those extraordinary places brimming with archaeological, ethnographic, artistic and natural treasures of worldwide importance.

Some places stand out for their nature. In others, their historical or artistic legacy shines particularly brightly. There are also sites recognised the world over for their traditions. And finally, there are lands that seem to practically have it all. Gran Canaria forms part of this select list of places that really stand out for a full array of wonders.

Gran Canaria is inviting you to spread your wings and use your imagination to discover an amazing, magical island that lets you dream about the future.

Restoration of the emblematic Santa Catalina hotel in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is writing a new page in its history.

Gregory Peck took refuge there after playing Captain Ahab, shooting scenes from ‘Moby Dick’ on the Las Canteras beach, under the watchful eye of director John Huston. The hundred-year-old memories in its rooms also conjure up smoke from Winston Churchill’s cigars, echoes of the voice of the soprano Maria Callas, the smouldering gaze of Ava Gardner and the dreamy although somewhat distracted look of Agatha Christie, probably because a mystery novel was always brewing in her head, even while she relaxed by the Atlantic in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.