Path to the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito

FuerteventurActiva is always committed to bringing you knowledge of our environment. Today we bring you an excursion to do as a family, full of history, legends and charm. Come with us us to a magical place, to the vicinity of the grave of the Giant Mahan.

The path that we propose has a route of just 4 kilometers. It is suitable for all ages and physical conditions. It begins in the town of El Cardón to the sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito, at the foot of the Cardón Mountain

Cardón Mountain

 The Cardón Mountain is one of the most representative visual landmarks in the south of Fuerteventura. It has been found that the Canarian aborigines here had places of worship and performed rituals. It was, for them, one of the magical elevations of the island, comparable to Tindaya.

In addition to being Montaña Cardón, a point of reference for the ancient mahos, its orography full of caves, and the humidity of the environment allowed the settlement of a stable population for centuries. Although we now see a bare mountain of vegetation, in the past it had a thermophilic forest.

In this place the Giant Mahán was buried.

The legend of the giant Mahán 

At the end of the 16th century, Fray Juan de Abreu Galindo wrote:

“There is a grave at the foot of a mountain that they say of Cardones is twenty-two feet long, eleven points each foot, which was one that they said Mahan.”

So, if the burial mound was more than 6 meters long, imagine the height and relevance of this character to the aborigines. Leonardo Torriani, and Unamuno also made mention of this personage.

Who was Mahán? 

On more than one occasion we have told you that, during the conquest of Fuerteventura, the island was divided into two headquarters, that of Guise and that of Ayose. Well, these tribal chiefs were supported by courageous warriors: the Altahay.

Mahán had to be one of the Altahay warriors who fought against the Franco-Normans between 1402 and 1404.

Mahán became a hero and legend along with his grave once he died, and whose memory has survived in the popular collection for centuries. With this in mind, we set out to walk the historic path, the same one that pilgrims travel, on the first Sunday in May.

Path to the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito.

This route is marked in the Fuerteventura trail guide as SL-FV 53. To do the walk you have two alternatives: a long one that begins in the town of El Cardón and a shorter one, which is the one we will do.

The start of the road is on the left bank of the FV-618 highway, a couple of kilometers from the town of El Cardón towards Fayagua. As a reference, look for the greenhouses closest to the road. A few meters from the greenhouse, you will see a large parking lot where you can leave your vehicle and begin to discover the path that will take you to the hermitage of the Virgen del Tanquito. You will also observe the signposts of the Network of Natural Paths of Fuerteventura. The path quickly enters the interior landscape of Majorero. The beginning is something pending, but do not worry, it is not as hard as it may seem at first glance.

The route is easy to do, it is very well signposted and marked with stones for most of the route. Once you have climbed the first slope, you will find a pole with a base in the middle of a circle of stones. From here the road is much smoother. The unevenness is hardly appreciated. The path runs along the northern slope of the mountain, from where we will enjoy spectacular views of the west coast, reaching the entire Cofete arch, from La Pared, to Punta Pesebre.

We will follow the path until we reach a gate that we will close after our passage. In just a few minutes we will have reached the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito.

What will we find at the end of the trail? 

The first thing we will see when we reach the end of the SL-FV 53 trail is a fenced recreation area, with a barbecue and the traditional Majorero oven. A couple of meters further on, a gallery of water welcomes you. The gallery was excavated at the beginning of the 20th century with the intention of exploiting, industrially, the waters that reach this source and that filter through the rocks. A small cistern or tank was created so that the neighbors could comfortably supply themselves with water.

Passing the gallery is the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Tanquito. This hermitage is a small cave dug into the rock where the faithful leave stamps, figures, postcards and candles, among other objects. Its origins are linked to the works of the gallery. The residents of the area say that, when the cave was being excavated, one of the veins in the rock looked like the Virgin. Since then, thousands of faithful have come up to this place to ask for favors and fulfill their promises.

Some researchers argue that this area was already, in the days of the Mahos, an area of worship, as was the source of Tababaire, in La Oliva.

On the right side of the Tanquito sanctuary, an aboriginal ceramic vessel was found, in an inverted position.

Since an image of the Virgin was placed in 1981, every year in May, a pilgrimage is held, attended by thousands of faithful and pilgrims dressed in the typical costumes of the island.

SL FV 53: El Cardón – El Tanquito

Length: 1 h 15 min
Distance: 3,9 km.
Level: Easy.

GPX route
Route in Google Earth
Route in PDF

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