The town of Betancuria was founded
in the fifteenth century, by Jean de Betencourt, the conqueror
of the island, and until 1834 was the administrative capital
of the island.
It is located in the valley of the Massif Betancuria (Country
Park), and is one of less desert areas of the island, and that
runoff from these mountains converge into the valley.
Betancuria is the least populated municipality of Fuerteventura
(only 800 inhabitants), and has no tourist
facilities and beaches of interest, but is the town of artistic
and historical interest of the island.
Among these points of interest is
the Church of Santa Maria, the fifteenth century and
was destroyed by pirates in the sixteenth century and rebuilt in
the seventeenth century, and inside you can see various works of
religious art.
Next to the church is a tourist
area with a café and shops of typical products of the island
that have a large stock in all kinds of crafts and souvenirs.
Another place to visit is the
Archaeological Museum of Betancuria, where we learn the ways of
life of the ancient inhabitants of Fuerteventura.
Leaving Betancuria south, we reach
the village of Vega de Rio Palmas, where we find one of the
only water storage infrastructure: the small reservoir of Penitas,
which is now silted up. In this valley, we found
a particularly attractive vegetation including palm trees and
other vegetation.