Taken from Island Connections:
The Casa Alta in Tindaya, Fuerteventura, recently reopened following five years of renovation after being acquired by the local council in 2010.
A modern information centre is now at the heart of the project
06.05.2015 - The building at the foot of Tindaya Mountain has always been shrouded in legend; it is believed to have been built in the 18th century by members of the aristocracy at the time, although no one exactly knows who, or even when. Most likely, it was built by a Spanish general posted on the island, although it`s also possible that a businessman who traded in the area constructed it. The building is made of stone and clay, has two storeys, and is approximately 359 square metres in size. To this day, it is one of the few structures with two floors in the area, and was built using expensive materials for the period.
The last known owner was Nieves Manrique de Lara y del Castillo (1844-1921), supporting the theory that it was built by her relatives, as she was also known as the ‘Countess`. Nieves was the daughter of the last general in the Fuerteventura regiment, Cristobal Manrique de Lara, and she was also the widow of the eighth Count of La Quinta Roja, Diego de Ponte del Castillo.
In her will she bequeathed the house to her family doctor in compensation for his services during illness. Since then, it has been more or less abandoned and left to decay. In 2010 the island council acquired the traditional edifice and renovated it extensively over the course of five years.
The old house also has a famous legend attached to it. The story goes that it was in fact built by a Native American who made good in his homeland and used his newfound wealth to come to the Canaries and build for himself the grandest house on the island of Fuerteventura. The same day that it was finished, the man was found dead at the foot of Tindaya Mountain â€" a sacred place of worship for ancient inhabitants, and once considered to possess supernatural properties. It is said that he was lured to the top of Pico de la Muda by the Witches of Tindaya so that he could regard his new home from the best view possible; and when he was at the top, the witches cast him down to his death. To this day the house is still considered cursed by some people because of this popular local myth.
Fuerteventura council representatives were present with Luis Chillida, the son of the late Eduardo Chillida, at the unveiling of the reformed Casa de Alta, which will also house an exhibition relating to the ‘Monument to Tolerance`: a massive cave sculpture to be bored into the side of Tindaya Mountain that was originally conceived by his father in the 1970`s. Eduardo Chillida`s Tindaya project was to be the final masterpiece for the renowned Basque sculptor, but he died in 2002 without seeing his dream realised. In 2011 his family formed a foundation in conjunction with the regional government to oversee the construction of the giant cave monument, with excavation work planned to start soon. The project will involve extensive digging and a resulting 50 cubic metre cavity in the mountain, which has been met with stiff opposition by environmentalists since the plans were first announced.
An assembly formed by scientists and ecologists issued a statement announcing its “firm rejection of the continual steps to see one of the most iconic and natural areas in the Canary Islands transformed into a theme park under the guise of a ‘modern work of art`.†The group, which includes over 200 people respected in the scientific community, has collected over 70,000 signatures to prevent moves to bore into the mountain. The estimated cost of researching and planning the Monument to Tolerance, which stretch back to 1994, has already reached around â,¬30 million of public money, a figure which has led to the attraction being dogged with countless conspiracy theories and accusations of political corruption.
Island president, Mario Cabrera, said that the opening of the Casa Alta centre “will highlight the cultural and natural significance of the area, with special attention for the monumental project of Eduardo Chillida.†Luis Chillida said that his father “would be very happy to see how steps are being made to finally realise his dream. It will be difficult and complicated to achieve, so we must be consistent and go little by little."
Eduardo Chillida wrote shortly before his death: “The sculpture has been conceived as a monument to tolerance and a work of art for the Canarian people. I do not want it to be a cause of division or for it to be used as stones thrown in political battles I do not understand and have no desire to get involved in."