{"id":11356,"date":"2026-03-20T12:22:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/blog\/cenobio-de-valeron\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:30:13","slug":"cenobio-de-valeron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/cenobio-de-valeron\/","title":{"rendered":"Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n, the native pantry of Gran Canaria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During your visit to Gran Canaria, you will have the opportunity to discover precious natural treasures. Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n (Cenobium of Valer\u00f3n)<\/strong>, an archaeological site of great value located in Monta\u00f1a del Gallego (Santa Mar\u00eda de Gu\u00eda), is one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This impressive collective granary was built and used by the aborigines more than 800 years ago. Today it is one of the most important archaeological sites on the island, along with the Cueva Pintada in G\u00e1ldar. Find out more about this fascinating site!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a cenobium?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A cenobium is a religious community<\/strong> in which monks or nuns live together. The term comes from the Greek koinobion<\/em>, meaning ‘common life’. There has long been a belief that the silos on this site were the living quarters of an ancient monastery, hence the name Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n.Today, this theory (which prevailed until the 20th century) has been completely discredited. The new hypothesis drew parallels between these structures and the <\/strong>agadirs <\/em><\/strong>that existed in North Africa<\/strong> for the preservation of food. These granaries had a common storage area (guarded by the community), although their use and maintenance were individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cenobio
The cenobiums were food storage structures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

History of Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n in Gran Canaria is a surprising place for the history it contains<\/strong>. It is located on the GC-291 road in the municipality of Santa Mar\u00eda de Gu\u00eda. It consists of a series of caves on several levels, with a total of 298 compartments. The capacity of each one is between 1 and 3 square metre<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research, these storehouses could have been dug with stone or wooden tools<\/strong>; the silos have different shapes and communicate with each other. The end result was a large collective granary for the storage of grain in a place that offered natural protection thanks to the arch of the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site has yielded a number of artefacts, including gravestones, pottery, ashes and human bones<\/strong>. These may have belonged to the people who guarded the site. Stone tools and mills were also found, which could have been used to grind cereals.

At that time, the cultivation of wheat or barley<\/strong> was a significant contributor to the islands’ economy. This explains the importance of preserving the grains from the harvest. Similar stories can be found in the caves of El P\u00f3sito, El \u00c1lamo, La Monta\u00f1eta and Las Palomas
.
This prehistoric engineering work<\/strong> is of immense heritage and cultural value for the Canary Islands. While it may be overlooked from the outside due to its strategic location, it is accessible. It is equipped with various ramps and stairs to navigate the steep terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cenobio
The cenobiums are caves of 1-3 m2 spread over several levels, with 298 compartments in total.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why visit the Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n in Gran Canaria?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n offers a distinctive experience that provides insights into the lives of the indigenous<\/strong> Canary Islanders. It showcases their economic activities and early architectural examples. The landscape is also a notable feature, while the opportunity to explore Santa Mar\u00eda de Gu\u00eda is also available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a population of less than 14,000, this town is located on the Pico de la Atalaya<\/strong> and is renowned for its rich heritage and artistic and ethnographic value. It has also been the birthplace of numerous celebrated artists and maintains centuries-old traditions, such as the traditional Fiesta de Las Mar\u00edas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Visiting Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n is a unique experience that offers a glimpse into the island’s rich history. If you are planning a visit to this remarkable location and are seeking accommodation in Gran Canaria<\/a>, the Lopesan Hotel Group<\/strong> can assist you in selecting the ideal accommodation option. Our team is dedicated to ensuring your stay is enjoyable and memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During your visit to Gran Canaria, you will have the opportunity to discover precious natural treasures. Cenobio de Valer\u00f3n (Cenobium […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,146],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gran-canaria","category-places-of-interest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11365,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11356\/revisions\/11365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}