Martín de Benavides Bridge

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Memory spaces · Year: 1579 · Authors: Batolomé Díaz, Bartolomé Martín Pavón

After a great rise of the Guiniguada in the winter of 1579 that caused the collapse of the so-called “Old Bridge”, the governor Martín de Benavides immediately set out to build another footbridge, this time more solid, in the same place.

The mason in charge of the construction work was Bartolomé Díaz, author among other works of the portal of the church of Santa Ana de Garachico and the main door of the cathedral of Las Palmas. For the foundation of the new bridge, this renowned stonemason excavated the firm area of the ravine bed and built there two abutments, one on each bank, made of stone and lime with a mix of masonry. The elbows of both abutments and the side walls of the ravine slopes were also covered with masonry. The objective was clear: to achieve greater stability. On this firm base the upper wooden structure was laid.

The carpentry was entrusted to Bartolomé Martín Pavón who, with six pine beams, spanned the ravine from side to side. The infrastructure also had balconies joined by bolts that secured the huge crossbeams. A wooden railing was also made which, with its parapets and rails, extended along the sides of the bridge.

Upon completion, the work was crowned with some crests and with the statues of Santa Ana and San Pedro Mártir, as well as a plaque honouring Governor Benavides.

The bridge stood until 1615, when a new rise of the Guiniguada completely destroyed it. It was the predecessor of the Puente de Palo, built here three hundred years later, already in the second half of the 19th century.

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