To take a tour around the historic quarter of the Town of Ingenio, visitors should start in Plaza de La Candelaria. There, you will find the Town Hall and the Church of La Candelaria.
The Church of La Candelaria, dating from 1901, was built on the remains of the previous chapel of the same name. The altarpiece of the main altar is Gothic and the church bells, forged and donated to the church by the Gran Canaria migrants in Cuba in 1820, is also worth your attention.
In the city centre, you can also visit the Casa del Reloj (Clock House), belonging to the Royal Water Rights Association of Aguatona. Here, farmers adjust their clocks to bring them in line with the Association clock, in order to buy the water they need for irrigating their lands.
Visitors also have the option of seeing the natural environment of the borough by going to the Guayadeque Ravine, where you can see numerous natural and artificial caves, some of which were used as burial sites and others as dwellings in pre-Hispanic times. The borough has an extensive network of trails and routes to visit all these caves. The Guayadeque Museum has an exhibition showing what the Guayadeque Ravine looked like in pre-Hispanic times and the Museum of Stones and Canary Island Crafts (Museo de Piedras y Artesanía Canaria), which houses a large collection of minerals and samples of the works of local craftsmen.
Another interesting excursion is the Ruta de los Molinos de Agua (Water Mills Route), which runs through the historic quarter, offering visitors an insight into how these mills worked centuries ago. In Ingenio, visitors can also enjoy a stroll through the Parque Nestor (Nestor Park) or a visit to the Casa de Postas (Coach House). In the latter, you have the chance to see several rooms showing openwork.
The town of Carrizal is worth a visit, with its church dedicated to the Virgen del Buen Suceso (Virgin of the Fortunate Event), its old quarter and other symbolic places such as the Casa del Obispo (former episcopal seat).
The coast of Ingenio has two main beaches, although the most popular one is Playa del Burrero. This is a small beach, about 500 metres long, of sand and pebbles where the wind and waves make it ideal for sailing and windsurfing.
Ingenio is the leading craft centre of the island of Gran Canaria.
Its fame and the perfection of the lace work have made it a yardstick for visitors in search of this kind of crafts, along with ceramics and “pintadera” (aboriginal painted symbols.)
At present, the handicraft industry is represented by the beautiful openwork typical of Gran Canaria, and carried out with meticulous care. There is also a version of the traditional openwork applied to fashion and known as the Moda Calada. It has been represented in several fashion shows which do not differ from traditional shows. Besides, it is possible to purchase multicoloured rugs, blankets, bedspreads, curtains and a large number of very useful textile articles.
This has brought about the creation of the Taller Municipal de Artesanía in Ingenio, offering courses and workshops in different crafts and where the craftsmen themselves and anyone who wishes to learn, set about making articles in different materials.
In the Canary Island Craft and Stone Museum (Museo de Piedras y Artesanía Canaria) you can also buy pottery, palm weaving products and lace, as the craftsmen are actually demonstrating the techniques used to make many of these articles.
Livestock and farming have defined the typical food of Ingenio, as in many other boroughs of the island.
Dishes of tender goat meat and fried pork are eaten with the traditional papas arrugadas con mojo (new potatoes boiled in their jackets with the typical “mojo” dip), chick peas, black sweet black pudding, or the delicious local cheeses.
But home made bread is another tradition of Ingenio. So, you can buy the typical ‘pan de puño’, famous all over the island. This bread forms part of one of the most popular dishes of the El Carrizal area: soup of the Virgin, a dish that is served on Sundays and bank holidays, consisting of beef, “pan de puño”, chick peas, eggs, potatoes and aromatic herbs.
However, in Ingenio, there is a series of restaurants where you can taste not only traditional cuisine, but also a wide range of other dishes.
