 The
Natural Park of Garajonay is located in the centre of La
Gomera island, in the Comunidad Autónoma ("autonomous
community") of Canarias. |
Garajonay
National Park
(Spanish: Parque nacional de
Garajonay) is located in the center and north of the
island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands. It was declared a
national park in 1981 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.
It occupies 15 square miles (40 square km) and it extends into each
of the municipalities on the island.
The
park is named after the rock formation of Garajonay, the highest
point on the island at 1,484 meters (4,869 feet). It also includes a
small plateau whose altitude is 2,600-4,600 feet (790-1,400 m) above
sea level.
The
park provides the best example of laurisilva, a humid
subtropical forest that in the Tertiary covered almost all of
Europe. It is also found on the Azores and the Madeira Islands. Laurus
azorica, known as Azores Laurel, or by the Portuguese names Louro,
Loureiro, Louro-da-terra, and Louro-de-cheiro,
can be found in the park, as well as Laurus canariensis,
known as Canary Laurel.
The
forests are made up of laurel-leaved evergreen hardwood trees,
reaching up to 40 meters in height. Many of the species are endemic
to the islands, and harbor a rich biota of understory plants,
invertebrates, and birds and bats, including a number of endemic
species.
Two
species of reptile, Gallotia gomerana (Gomeran lizard) and Chalcides
viridanus (Gomeran skink), can be found. Amphibians include the
stripeless tree frog, Hyla meridionalis.
The
park is renowned as one of the best places to observe the two
Canarian endemic pigeons, Laurel Pigeon (Columba junoniae)
and Bolle's Pigeon (Columba bollii).
Gara
and Jonay
The
peak and park are named after the doomed Guanche lovers Gara and
Jonay, whose story evokes those of Romeo and Juliet and Hero and
Leander. Gara was a princess of Agulo on La Gomera. During the
festival of Beñesmén, it was the custom of unmarried girls of
Agulo to gaze at their reflections in the waters of Chorros del
Epina. If the water was clear, they would find a husband; if muddy,
some misfortune would befall them. When Gara looked at the water,
she saw her reflection clearly. However, she gazed too long and the
sun's reflection blinded her temporarily. A wise man named Gerián
told her that this meant that she needed to avoid all fire or it
would consume her.
Jonay
was the son of the mencey or king of Adeje on Tenerife who
arrived on the island to celebrate these ceremonies. Jonay's
participation in the ensuing games attracted the attention of Gara,
and the two fell in love. Unfortunately, when the engagement was
announced, the volcano Teide, visible from La Gomera, began to erupt
as if in disapproval. This was interpreted as a bad sign and the
couple’s respective parents broke the engagement. Jonay was made
to return to Tenerife, but one night, he swam across the channel
that separated the two islands and rejoined his beloved. Their
respective fathers ordered that the two be found. The lovers were
soon trapped on a mountain, where they decided to take their own
lives.
External
links
(Spanish)
Legend
of Gara and Jonay |
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