Las Mesas Park

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Leisure · Subcategory: Green spaces · Year: 2002

Las Mesas Park is located on the outskirts of the urban core of Santa Cruz, occupying part of the Las Mesas mountain, in the southwest of the Anaga massif, overlooking the city itself. By area, it is the most important peri-urban park in the Canary Islands (1,860,000 square metres) and is accessed via the Los Campitos road (TF-111).  

The original project to convert this area into a park dates from 2002, as a result of a design competition to enable it as an urban leisure and recreation space linked to nature. The winning idea was presented by architects Rafael Escobedo and Mónica Esteban. The technicians proposed a very ambitious intervention for the entire mountain area, aiming to provide a visitor centre, sports zones, and rest areas. The drafting team proposed that the entire enclosure be traversed by a serpentine pergola, as a unifying element, adapted to the terrain’s topography. Additionally, a comprehensive improvement of the gardening was planned, with a strong presence of native flora. The idea arose in the context of the Santa Cruz-La Laguna conurbation project, which sought to create facilities and areas of intervention at the municipal boundaries of the metropolitan area.

However, problems arose from the outset in carrying out the park. Work did not begin until 2010, as part of the land was privately owned and therefore required modifying the planned scope of intervention, a matter that was done without following the proper legal mechanisms. This led to numerous delays, leaving the work paralysed with hardly any progress and the enclosure closed to the public.

In November 2022, after a long period of abandonment, the park reopened so that the public can finally enjoy a proper leisure area. The place deserves it both for its environmental and landscape value.

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