In pre-Hispanic times, the Guanches settled in areas such as Barranco del Infierno and Barranco del Rey, taking advantage of caves and water to survive. After the conquest, the population moved to the midlands, between 400 and 700 meters above sea level, which were more suitable for agriculture, although the southern slope of Tenerife was always less populated due to its aridity. Towns such as Taucho, La Quinta, Tijoco Alto and Bajo, and Ifonche were established to the north of what is now the Barranco del Infierno Nature Reserve. Initially, the land was used for grazing, with agriculture being introduced later due to the lack of water resources.

With the acquisition of the lands of the Adeje River by Pedro de Ponte, a canal was built to take advantage of the water from the ravine, the beginning of which can still be seen near the waterfall in La Tornadera. This canal carried water to the vicinity of Molino Viejo, supplying Adeje until the mid-20th century, although it suffered continuous breaks and was replaced by another wider irrigation channel. In the mid-16th century, the sugar mill was installed in Adeje, somewhat later than in other areas of the Canary Islands, marking the beginning of sugar cane cultivation in this part of the island.

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The Casa Fuerte de Adeje, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1986, was built around 1556 by Pedro de Ponte with royal authorization to defend the coast from pirate attacks. For more than three centuries, this palace-fortress became the political, economic, and social center of the jurisdiction of Adeje, serving as a symbol of the Ponte family’s feudal regime. Although initially conceived as a defensive bastion, it also functioned as the residence of the family and later of the administrators and employees of the Marquises of Bélgida.

Linked to the sugar industry, the Casa Fuerte housed one of the most important sugar mills in Tenerife. Its construction began in 1554 and it had a mill, a sugar mill and a purifying house, where water was the main driving force for crushing sugar cane. For decades, it generated substantial income from the export of sugar to Cadiz and Antwerp, although over time it declined due to competition from Brazilian sugar, pirate attacks, and natural disasters. From the 17th century onwards, agricultural production diversified into wine and cereals, maintaining the Casa Fuerte as a historical landmark in Adeje.

The current Casa Sindical, now home to the Canarian Library and the Adeje Photographic Archive, has a history closely linked to the social life of the municipality. At the beginning of the 20th century, it housed Adeje’s first public telephone, which was first installed in the Casa Fuerte and moved here in the 1920s. Over time, this building became a children’s dining hall in the post-war period, a venue for community celebrations and, in 1959, the headquarters of the Hermandad Sindical de Labradores y Ganaderos (Farmers and Ranchers Union), which later became the Local Agricultural Chamber until its closure in 1993. After a decade of disuse, in 2003 it regained its value as a cultural and heritage space.

The building is a fine example of traditional Canarian domestic architecture, with a central courtyard, rooms distributed around it, and characteristic features such as the two-story barn and the tea roofs with mortar cake. Built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it reflects the adaptation of rural architecture to the needs of the time and remains today a symbol of the historical and cultural memory of Adeje.

The Franciscan Convent of Adeje, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1986, was founded on August 10, 1679, under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Paul, thanks to the initiative of Juan Bautista de Ponte Fonte y Pagés, the first Marquis of Adeje. In its early days, it housed eight or nine friars of the Franciscan order, but over time it lost members until there were only three religious left in 1802. After the secularization of 1835, the convent was gradually demolished and became the seat of the Town Hall, with only the church remaining, which was acquired in 1988 and restored in 1991.

The church, with a rectangular floor plan, is notable for its wooden coffered ceiling, a Baroque triumphal arch in the main chapel, niches, confessionals, and a wooden choir, as well as the marquis’ coat of arms on its main façade. The convent also had a vegetable garden, essential for the friars’ self-sufficiency, where water played a fundamental role. Thus, the complex represented the three dimensions of monastic life: the divine (church), the human (cloister), and work (orchard). Its history was even reflected in literature, such as in Agustín Espinosa’s Romancero de los pueblos del sur de Tenerife (Ballads of the Villages of Southern Tenerife), which mentions a lay brother named Lucas, linked to the Adeje convent.

El Molino de Abajo, located on Calle Los Molinos in Adeje, is one of the earliest examples of a horizontal or waterwheel-type hydraulic mill, which is easier to install as it does not require complex gears or transmission systems. It was built in the 16th century by the lords of Casa Fuerte and later sold to Francisco Trujillo Clemente in 1897.

This mill operated until the 1950s and used a horizontal wheel with a waterwheel system. Its hub is still in good condition today, bearing witness to the important role these infrastructures played in the agricultural and economic life of Adeje for several centuries.

In Adeje, water came from Barranco del Infierno through an irrigation channel that ran through the village from north to south. Residents used it for domestic consumption, and women used it to wash clothes and utensils. However, this system posed health risks, as the water could become contaminated when passing through flour mill turbines.

To improve quality and access, a project begun in 1933 was completed in 1938, installing four public fountains: on the corner leading up to the Casa del Cura, on Calle Nueva, on Calle de la Paloma, and in the Plaza de la Cruz del Llano. These fountains regulated the supply at specific times and prohibited misuse, ensuring a more convenient and secure supply for residents.

The Church of Santa Úrsula, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1986, originated as a small chapel that was enlarged in the 16th century by Pedro de Ponte, becoming a single-nave church. In 1530, it was elevated to parish status and, in 1560, it obtained the right to have its own parish priest. During the 17th century, a period of greater economic prosperity, it was enlarged with a second nave separated from the original by three semicircular arches.

The Casa Fuerte de Adeje played a fundamental role in sustaining the parish, taking care of its maintenance, water supply, and financing masses and processions stipulated in the Ponte family’s wills. Thus, the Church of Santa Úrsula was not only a religious space but also a reflection of the seigneurial power and the link between devotion and community life in Adeje.

The Fuente de los Tres Chorros fountain, built in 1890 after the abolition of feudalism, was one of the first public infrastructures in Adeje. It was located on Calle de Los Molinos, the road that descends from Barranco del Infierno, as part of the improvements to the town’s services and works at the end of the 19th century.

This hydraulic system allowed water to be channeled from the ravine, becoming an essential resource for the residents. From the fountain, the water was collected in pots and transported by donkey to the houses, a task in which the water carriers, women who played a key role in daily life and in supplying the families of Adeje, also stood out.

In 1932, the Heredad de Aguas de Adeje (Adeje Water Authority) was established as an irrigation syndicate, in accordance with the Water Law of 1879. Its purpose was to organize and manage the shared use of water from the Barranco del Infierno ravine, which had been used to irrigate the municipality’s land since time immemorial. The water was channeled from the waterfall in the ravine to the mill and from there to a pond where it was distributed among the residents to irrigate their farms.

The first Governing Board, chaired by José Esquivel Alayón, established an irrigation system based on four shifts or “adulamientos” called Morales, Rueda, Lomo, and Valito, each comprising some 90 farms. To this end, agronomic measurements were taken, measuring tanks were built, and the canals were modernized, thus ensuring a fair and more efficient distribution of water, a vital resource for Adeje’s agricultural economy.

The laurel trees on Calle Grande in Adeje have their origins in the Tree Festival celebrated on December 10, 1911. The initiative was promoted by Dr. Manuel Fernández Piñeiro, a doctor in the municipality at the beginning of the 20th century, founder of the “Unión y Cultura” Society, and an active promoter of social and cooperative projects related to water. Teachers such as Luisa Tacoronte and Fermín Fraga, together with their students, participated in the planting in a solemn ceremony that included a civic procession, music, and the tree anthem.

The trees came from the provincial nursery and were transported free of charge by the steamship Carmen, owned by Messrs. Hamilton. The Tree Festival continued to be celebrated in Adeje until at least 1916, becoming a tradition that left behind the emblematic laurel trees that still adorn Calle Grande, also known as Calle de la Iglesia or Calle Dr. Fernández Piñeiro.

The public wash houses in Adeje were designed in 1936 on a plot of land located on Camino de los Molinos, in the upper part of the village. They had 28 wash basins and four stoves with boilers for disinfecting clothes and preparing bleach. The building, constructed with limestone walls and concrete roofs with metalwork, had natural ventilation through windows and openings in the roof. The budget for the work amounted to 7,704.68 pesetas and was drawn up by the municipal surveyor Manuel Morales.

These facilities were in operation until the late 1960s, when they were demolished to build a pond. During their final years, they were also used as a slaughterhouse. As a memento, the cross installed in the adjoining pond is still preserved, placed there after a neighbor’s accident in the old wash houses, a space that was part of the daily and community life of Adeje.

In the 16th century, cereal cultivation in Adeje was essential to supply the new population, leaving its mark on the landscape with terraces, threshing floors, and granaries. The water from the Adeje River was used not only for irrigation and the sugar mill, but also to power the water mills that produced gofio, a staple food in the Canarian diet. There were four mills in the municipality: two on Calle de los Molinos, one in La Concepción and another in La Hoya Grande.

The Molino de Arriba, located in Agua Pie, is a rare example of a vertical mill or watermill in the Canary Islands. Built by the lords of the Casa Fuerte and operated on a leasehold basis, it was sold in 1897 to Francisco Trujillo Clemente, whose descendants still own it today. It operated until the 1950s, with Berta Trujillo Trujillo being the last miller. Production was regulated by strict rules set out in the Casa Fuerte Directory, which supervised the work of the millers.