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Santa Bárbara – the Tenerife pyramids village in the north |
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Written by Steve Andrews
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 Santa Bárbara is a village in the north of Tenerife just a short distance from Icod de los Vinos and it is worth a visit to see the pyramids, of which there are several with the largest readily visible from the road going through.
The pyramids are on farmland and some are in much better condition than others. There is some evidence that they have been patched up over the years where the stonework has fallen away but in other places the ravages of time are easy to see. On one of the roads there is even a house built right next to one pyramid.
 Who built them and when is something of a mystery? Some say the landowners had them constructed after the conquest of the Guanche people who were the original inhabitants of Tenerife, whilst other people like to believe the Guanches made the pyramids before the Spanish invasion.
Whatever the truth is they are an unusual feature of Santa Bárbara, and strangely, countless visitors and residents of Tenerife know nothing about them because unlike the famous ones in the Ethnographic Park in Güímar in the south of the island, the Santa Bárbara pyramids get very little publicity.
 Unlike the ones in Güímar there is no admission price to pay to see them. In Santa Bárbara you can wander around and view the pyramids for free. And unlike Güímar there are no information plaques or leaflets telling you all about the mysterious monuments so you will have to draw your own conclusions as to why these pyramids were built.
The local people are clearly well aware of the appeal and mystery that pyramids have and there is even a Pastelaría de Pirámide cake and pastry shop.
 The coat of arms for Santa Bárbara is displayed on the road sign announcing the name of the village and the four Guanche figures in it show that the area was once a stronghold for these people.
Santa Bárbara has plenty of farms on which various fruit and vegetables are grown in the fertile soil, such as lettuce, pumpkins, grapes, papayas, oranges and loquats. There is a  splendid example of a papaya tree growing in a field right in front of the largest pyramid.
In the distance you can see forests and a good view of Tenerife’s Mt Teide, whereas looking the other direction takes you down to the sea, and it is possible to look along the coast past Garachico and to Montaña de Taco over in the direction of Buenavista.
Santa Bárbara has the usual village shops, bars and restaurants and a church. There is a regular bus service from Icod de los Vinos and back on the 358 so it is easy enough to get to. Santa Bárbara is a Tenerife village with a real difference and well worth a visit if you are in the north of the island.
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Tenerife Island 
