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Roque Nublo
The Roque Nublo is a monolith almost ninety meters high from its base, standing memory of a remote and convulsive past from which it was born, it has inspired painters, writers or musicians, finding its name in a multitude of plays. Examples include those of Néstor Álamo «Lyric stone moon» or «Altar of my magical land«, it is the largest geographical landmark of Gran Canaria is located at 1,813 meters above sea level.
It was a place of worship for the ancient aborigines

The first settlers of Gran Canaria, Berbers who came from North Africa, settled in high places and based their economy on the cultivation of cereals. Their agricultural success is believed to be due to accurate knowledge of the seasons and changes in the calendar, made possible by observing the sun, stars, and moon. What is known today as astronomy was formerly considered magic, and even confused with religion. The aborigines gathered around sacred places (known as almogarenes) to celebrate rituals and worship the god Acorán, also known as «El Celestial«. One of these places of worship was the Roque Nublo.

Perhaps its capricious shape and elevation above sea level played in its favour, or perhaps its good location to observe the lunastices from Roque Bentayga did. An astronomical phenomenon that occurs once every 18.6 years where the full moon is at its southernmost position on the celestial sphere.

Modern geology has identified a special type of volcanic rock in it, which they have named «Roque Nublo gap«. This gap is the result of the consolidation of burning clouds after their deposition and subsequent cooling. Due to its uniqueness, it gives its name to the second great volcanic cycle of Gran Canaria, the Roque Nublo Cycle, which covers a period of almost two million years (from 5.3 to 3.4 million years from the present).

Sunset on the Roque Nublo
Roque Nublo Rural Park and altitude of the rock

Roque Nublo is the third highest point in Gran Canaria, behind Morro de la Agujereada and Pico de las Nieves, and is located in the geographical center of the island, in the municipality of Tejeda. In 1987 it was declared a Natural Space, and in 1994 Rural Park, thus becoming a Canarian symbol. The landscape that surrounds this stone giant, which seems to come from another planet, is full of pines, brooms and tajinastes, which when their red flowers appear, offer a unique spectacle.

On sunny days, the sun’s rays filter through the pine forests, giving the forest a warm and pleasant atmosphere. In the sky, some guirre or kestrel hovers almost statically in the air, caressed by the gentle trade winds (temperate winds that maintain the archipelago’s good climate all year round).

To see the clouds you do not have to look up, but under our feet. Thanks to the winds, the clouds are directed towards the mountain slopes, creating a calm and fluffy cloud sea reminiscent of cotton candy. Above 1,500 meters of altitude you can enjoy this landscape, which at sunset becomes, if possible, even more beautiful with golden tones and the first night shadows.

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