Vega de Rio Palma

The valley and the village share the same name and here you will see the valley sides covered in brightly coloured verode

The ravine opens up into an oasis of palms and gardens and the impressive church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña perches on a rocky ravine above the stream.

The church was built in 1666 and inside the chapel you will find a collection of oddments left by visitors and a visitors book which makes for interesting reading.

A mountain stream used to flow through the Vega de Rio Palma up until about the 16th century.

The path to the hidden church - it gets pretty hair-raising

Almost 100 years before it dried up, Jean de Bethencourt marched his army up it to seize Betancuria which was named after him.Passing through Vega de Rio Palma, though, he did leave a gift. At the altar of the church hangs a painting depicting the discovery of a statue of a saint which stands at the church.

The statue was brought to the village by Jean de Bethencourt.

Towards the end of the century, a notorious pirate by the name of  Jaban raided and destroyed the church but the statue was so well hidden that it was not rediscovered until almost two centuries later.

Vega de Rio Palma is certainly worth stopping off at on a trip to Betancuria.

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