The Municipal Town of Moya is situated about 490 metres above sea-level. This town appears amongst the various gullies and series of hills that descend toward the coast, in an abrupt space cut by deep gorges.
Moya possesses a very interesting cultural heritage. A walk through Moya cannot overlook the emblematic buildings of the municipal town, amongst which one must highlight Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria’s Church, the Tomás Morales House Museum, the Water-board Building or the Hermitage of Bartolomé de Fontanales. The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria hangs over the cliff face that falls to the gully of the Barranco de Moya. The present day temple, inaugurated in 1957, can be identified by the large rose window. Before the church is situated the Natal House of the poet Tomás Morales, who was born here in 1884. In the House Museum an ample patrimonial collection which encompasses the documentary archives, the poet’s library and a collection of rich and varied pictures connected with this figure, who was the maximum exponent of Spanish Modernism, is kept and exhibited. Public opening times: Mondays to Fridays from 09:00 to 20:00 hours; Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00 hours; Sundays and bank holidays from 10:00 to 14:00 hours.
The building of Moya’s Water-board is another magnificent architectural piece of singular beauty, constructed in basalt stone. One of the most emblematic buildings of the municipality is to be found in Fontanales, the Hermitage of San Bartolomé, constructed in 1872. The present day church contains the image of San Bartolomé (Saint Bartholomew), attributed to the distinguished Canarian religious sculptor Luján Pérez. Fontanales also has a good number of cheese shops and natural protected spaces, ideal for day trips and the practise of trekking.
Within the Doramas Natural Park one must highlight Los Tiles de Moya (the Linden-Trees of Moya), one of the last pockets of laurisilva, or laurel forest trees, on the Island. It is a required visiting place for lovers of botany, for its variety of flower and fauna and for its multiple endemic species of high scientific interest. The place has an Interpretation Centre of Los Tiles de Moya and a 1,800 metre footpath where one can enjoy the flora of the area. Public opening times: Mondays to Fridays from 08:00 to 13:00 hours.
For more tourist information on the municipality, Moya has a Tourist Information Office in the town centre.
