Español
Routes and trails
Tababaire Fountain: A walk with a lot of history
Oct
Fuerteventura offers a wide variety of experiences for you to enjoy your stay on this paradisiac island. Here, in addition to visiting endless beaches of clear sand, you can discover its rich ethnographic heritage, sometimes little valued by the institutions. Today we suggest a visit to the Tababaire Fountain, an ancient spring of water.
The Tababaire Fountain
The curious orography of Fuerteventura, in which permeable strata alternate with others that are not, allows us to contemplate, with amazement, how the water flows directly from the rocks.
The aborigines, to obtain the necessary water, on an island as arid as ours, spent many hours searching for these springs. The mahos left their marks as rocks carvings near the places of supply or where they spent a long time with their livestock. Therefore, it is not surprising to find petroglyphs in the vicinity of the historical springs.
Some of the springs have continued to be used, from pre-Hispanic times until well into the second half of the 20th century. The Tababaire Fountain is a clear example of this.
After the Castilian colonization, the Tababaire spring continued to supply water to the nearby population, especially to the towns of La Oliva and Vallebrón. But also, Tababaire was one of the springs protected by the authorities of that time.
The residents of La Oliva, Vallebrón and Tindaya, were responsible for cleaning and conditioning the fountain for centuries. In addition, due to the fact that the spring was high, more than 450 meters above sea level, and to prevent the water from becoming dirty or contaminated, the cattle were prohibited from approaching to drink. It was also not allowed to wash clothes in it.
People who failed to comply with these rules were fined with amounts ranging from 600 to 1,000 maravedis.
This source had a great influence on the development of agriculture in the area. One of the most important agricultural streams in La Oliva, the Caño del Manchón, which flows into La Rosa del Coronel, comes precisely from the streams of the waters of Tababaire,
Where is the Tababaire Fountain located?
Tababaire Fountain is located in the municipality of La Oliva, specifically on the north flank of the Morros de Tababaire.To locate yourself, if you stand looking at the Casa de los Coroneles, it is in the mountains just ahead and to the right.
How to get to the Tababaire Fountain?
There are two historical paths that give you access to the Fuente de Tababaire. One of them departs from the Casa de los Coroneles and climbs the steep slope of Morro de los Rincones. The other route leaves from Vallebrón. Today we will focus on this last trail, much shorter, easier and suitable for all physical conditions. To do this, you have to get to the Hermitage of San Juan Bautista, in Vallebrón. Continue to the end of Calle Valle Chico, where the asphalt ends. This is a good place to leave the vehicle and start the walk.
At about 100 meters, once on the dirt track, you will find a fork. Continue to the right, without deviating from the main path. In just 30 minutes you will have arrived at the Tababaire Fountain. The path is very wide and with little unevenness, ideal to go with young children.
A modern cobbled path will welcome you to the Fuente de Tababaire. On the right hand side you will see that the water oozes down the walls and ends up in a rustic basin. Look up a couple of meters, you will discover a small hole in the rock covered by a wall of masonry and mortar. This wall, with three open bays, protects the small “pool”, dug into the rock, which collects the water that has been leaking.
After the spring, a spectacular viewpoint was installed in 2010. The enclave is ideal to rest, have a snack and admire the spectacular views that the north of Fuerteventura offers you. To the left you can see the plains of Tebeto and the Barranco de Esquinzo. Towards the front are the towns of La Oliva, Lajares, Majanicho and El Cotillo. And on clear days the profile of Lanzarote is perfectly visible.
The Tababaire Fountain has also left its mark on the oral traditions and folklore of our island. The popular heritage tells that, near this ancient spring, the Devil lived, in a cave that still bears his name: “The Devil’s Cave.”
Folklore has left us the following popular song whose protagonist is love and the waters of Tababaire, without a doubt, a beautiful mixture.
Está el Morro Tababaire
con sus fuentes cristalinas,
que nos brindan nuevos aires
con aguas de cristal finas.
Cuando vayas a la montaña
toma agua con cuidado,
porque el agua (de) la montaña
mata a los enamorados.
Fuerteventura2 Fuerteventura5 Fuerteventura4
