The municipal government of San Miguel de Abona considers it urgent that the Cabildo de Tenerife cede the management of the Mirador La Centinela. A historical demand on which there is a public commitment from the insular Government expressed last March, after a visit to the facilities in which the mayor of San Miguel, Arturo González, was accompanied by the first vice president of the Cabildo and Highway Councilor, Enrique Arriaga, and by the insular director of Roads, Tomás Félix García.
The City Council has reiterated its request to the Island Corporation since that date without having received any response so far. A situation that worries the Consistory because “the deterioration that is registered in that area of the municipality is remarkable.”
Located at the foot of Roque de Jama, the La Centinela Viewpoint is part of the natural landscape of San Miguel de Abona, having become a benchmark for the municipality on a cultural and heritage level. It has several facilities, including a restaurant, and its location is characterized by offering spectacular panoramic views of this area of Abona. The City Council acquired the land that the viewpoint occupies in 1992 and ceded it to the Cabildo, the administration that carried out the construction. It is located on the land of San Miguel de Abona (the majority) and Arona.
Arturo González recalled that “the area and its facilities are in disuse, something that is damaging the image of this wonderful corner since it gives it an appearance of abandonment and also causes an increase in acts of vandalism in the place, so that the The enclosure is deteriorated and reflects the effects of the looting to which it has been subjected. It so happens that the abandonment was reflected in the environment, marked by the presence of weeds and dirt.
These words, pronounced a year and a half ago, remain valid. Currently, the weeds are still present, as are the dirt and the existence of damage.
“We want to rescue it and put it to use”, so that its facilities can serve as a training space linked to gastronomy and to create an archaeological interpretation center linked to the Jama environment. The alderman defends that El Mirador La Centinela is a strategic point and a symbol of San Miguel. «It is not acceptable that it suffers the current abandonment, after what it cost to start it up». The mayor thus alluded to the controversy in which the Cabildo was immersed at the end of the last century to open this facility, which was in service until several years ago. Currently, the municipality is still waiting for a solution.
During the visit made to the site in March 2021, Enrique Arriaga pointed out that “it is very important that the La Centinela Viewpoint be put into service and available to residents and visitors as soon as possible.” In this regard, he alluded to the “great tourist attraction” of the place once the rehabilitation of the enclosure is completed. Along these lines, the island vice president stressed that the Highways area is working in that direction. From his perspective, the facilities are in “very good condition, so its reopening will not require a large investment”, but it will require “tuning up”.
It should be remembered that the Arona City Council also demanded that the Cabildo maintain the exploitation of these facilities, which must include “a natural and cultural interpretation center, with special emphasis on archaeological heritage.”
