The Villa that leads to Bethlehem

He sings the popular carol that “the road that leads to Bethlehem goes down to the valley that the snow covered.” In Tenerifeat the feet of a Teide Already snowy, the Valley of La Orotava offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the art of nativity scenes in one of the most important nativity scenes routes in the Archipelago and in all of Spain. With 32 nativity scenes, some with more than 35,000 pieces, the XV Ruta de Belenes Villa de the orotava allows you to immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere created by authentic works of ephemeral art, made for the most part in an absolutely handmade way. Are 32 nativity scenes distributed mostly throughout the town and some neighborhoodssuch as Las Candias, Las Dehesas or Cañeño, which make La Orotava a Villa that every year takes its neighbors and visitors directly to Bethlehem.

Traveling this entire route requires more than one day, since there are 29 locations that can be visited in person and another three available only virtually. Each nativity scene has its own visiting hours, which can be consulted in the guide available on the municipal website (www.laorotava.es). Typically, they open between 9:00-9:30 and 1:30 p.m., and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00-8:00 p.m. On holidays this schedule is reduced.

All those on the route, except for the life-size nativity scene in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento Villero, will be closed on January 1. Most births are of the Hebrew type (22), although they can also be seen in the Canary Islands (4), conventual and baroque, in addition to the Ibero-American nativity scene exhibited by the Museum of Ibero-American Crafts of Tenerife (MAIT), and the Neapolitan nativity scene by Juan Luis Bardón González, only available for visits virtual. The Ephemeral Art Center of Las Alfombras de La Orotava has produced a carpet and a nativity scene, available until January 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

All the nativity scenes can be visited until January 5, except for the convent nativity scene from the 18th century set up in the Church of San Agustín by the Museo de Arte Sacro El Tesoro de la Concepción and the baroque nativity scene in the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, which will be there until January 8. The one from the old Bárbara sale will also be maintained until January 8; that of Isabelino Pérez Expósito, at number 17 Francisco Dorta street, will not be withdrawn until January 10; that of Samuel Mesa Valencia and collaborators, at number 58 of Las Candias Bajas street, will be there until January 7, as well as that of Víctor Mesa, María Cecilia and Carmen Hernández, at number 69, Viera street. The Malvasía Folk Association, on the Cañeño road, under the neighborhood association, can be visited until the 9th.

More than twenty in the helmet

The largest representation of nativity scenes is located in the surroundings of the historic center, where there are 21. The life-size nativity scene in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the main reference, with more than 300 pieces and a renewed nativity scene. Another of the most visited is that of Aniceto Rodríguez Lima and family, which occupies the exhibition hall of the Casa de la Cultura, next to the church of San Agustín. With just “six or seven years old”, Aniceto began to make nativity scenes by the hand of his father and now he has involved his wife, his three daughters, his sons-in-law and his granddaughters Ainara and Alejandra, aged 13 and 4 old. An art with guaranteed relief. The smallest of the family are in charge of creating a nativity scene of almost four square meters that can also be visited in the same location.

«80% of the things that can be seen in the nativity scene are made by us. Some figures are bought and others are made by hand, such as the palm grove, the trees or the houses, which are renewed every year”, details Aniceto. What can be seen these days is the fruit of years of work, but assembly alone requires 33 days. That’s why it started on October 30. «And before bringing him here, we worked two or three months at home to get to this moment. The current collection is over 20 years old and, due to lack of space, we have not been able to bring it all. We have 90 more mobile figures, which is why we would like to have a larger room to be able to place the complete collection, which has never been seen together », he details.

This Hebrew nativity scene, full of details and characters, has tiny corners that have required many hours of work, such as the fish market. “Only there are 600 fish, but in the whole nativity scene there are more than 35,000 thumbnails. Stored at home they take up a whole room », she explains.

The San Roque exhibition hall, next to the Teobaldo Power Auditorium, It houses the Hebrew nativity scene of the Canaragua company, the work of Toño Machado. It took him a month to complete the assembly, “but if you ask me how long it took me to make it, there are no hours, this lasts the whole year.” The use of wood abounds in his work, a meticulous work that has allowed him to build up to 15 doors, board by board. He lives it “like a game” and stresses that “nobody would do this forcibly, we do it because we like it and that’s why we can dedicate 12 or 14 hours a day to it. This is a hobby and a passion.”

“Visitors speak wonders about our nativity scenes,” says Aniceto, “they tell us that jobs like this are not seen on the peninsula. We are a benchmark.” It is enough to listen to the comments of the visitors to agree with the villero nativity scenes. Each Christmassome 40,000 people enjoy these births distributed in places such as the Youth House, the Orotava Hardware store, the Municipal Center for the Elderly, the Liceo Taoro, the La Sidrona Bazaar, the Lercaro House, the House of the Balconies, Tete Moments, the Church of San Francisco or the Association of Neighbors of Las Dehesas.

The mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares (CC), affirms that this route is a “masterful” initiative, a “singular route, unique in Canary Islands, which allows you to admire authentic works of art made by local nativity scenes. each with different styles and their own identity, fruit of the seal of each one of the participating artists». In his opinion, “it is incredible how they can capture us in each scene, how they tell so many stories and hide so much culture.”

Linares assures that “a portal is much more than a montage, it is an almost theatrical representation that catches us in every corner, in every piece, in every image and in every scene. A masterful work of art, a true treasure that requires hundreds of hours of work, sacrifice and altruistic dedication.”

Asset of Cultural Interest

The Taoro Villa de La Orotava Nativity Scene Association also works so that the Government of the Canary Islands recognize the nativity scene as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) of an immaterial nature. The president of this group, Esteban García Morales, recalls that “at the national level, the Government of Spain He already declared nativity scenes last June as a representative manifestation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage». García recognizes the work of all the villeros nativity scenes: “We know and value all the work and effort behind each nativity scene, both physical and economic.” For this reason, he appreciates “the affection, enthusiasm and care” that they have put into each and every one of the 32 nativity scenes that make up this route.