Battery of Barranco Hondo

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1711

The Battery of Barranco Hondo was the last defensive stronghold closing the coastal line of 18th-century Santa Cruz on its southern flank. It was located at the mouth of the ravine formerly called Hondo and later known as El Hierro, currently occupied by part of the Refinery facilities, very close to the present-day Palmetum.

The first battery in this location was improvised in 1711 by the military engineer Miguel Tiburcio Rosell. Years later, in 1773, it was completely rebuilt under the project of engineer Luis Marquelli. This new construction consisted of a small emplacement for two artillery pieces on a slab platform, with an open parapet for rifle fire. A wall surrounded the entire enclosure up to its junction with the guardhouse, which was a small masonry building covered with tiles. The battery defended against possible invasions on the nearby beach of Puerto Caballos. In 1788 it was armed with two 16-pounder pieces and its garrison consisted of a sergeant, a corporal and ten men. In 1924 it was declared unsuitable for army services and its sale was arranged.

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