Dictatorship to Democracy... and Politics!

The young king Juan Carlos I became king and was intrumental in forming the new democracy of Spain, which was based on the 1978 Constitution.  Political power alternated between the Conservative Partido Popular and the PSOE.

Franco memorial to be removed

The obelisk dedicated to Franco at Las Raíces (El Rosario) is to be removed, by a unanimous vote in the Tenerife Cabildo.

The monument marks the spot where Franco met on the 17 June 1936  to make the final plans for the military coup in Julyof that year.

History of Tenerife: From Gofio to Bananas

From ancient history to the early twentieth centure; take a short tour of Tenerife’s past.  From invasion to market crashes, Tenerife's destiny has always been shaped by the outside world.

Hola Tenerife!

Before making the move to Tenerife, get to know some basic background information about the island.  History, politics, immigration and the economy have all had a large part to play in forming the character of the island we see today.  Statistics can also help to build up a picture of a place.  Population, industry, crime and even the weather form part of the statistical basis for understanding the island.

Meet the Neighbours

The population of Tenerife is a mixture of many diverse cultures.  Emigration to South America was later followed by immigration back again.  The more recent influx of northern Europeans contributes further to the cosmopolitan mix.  Understanding just how this melting pot came about is not only interesting, but a vital part of an expat's learning curve.

Spain’s changing family values

The Spain we see today is very different from the one we learned of in our history classes, which was bound by the strict rule of Catholicism.  The death of Franco and the subsequent 1978 Constitution three years later set the framework for loosening the stranglehold the church had over the State and its people.  New laws and rapid social change prised away the grip of Catholicism, finger by finger, over the following decades as the country underwent an economic boom.  In recent years, the return to power of the socialist party has accelerated some aspects of social change beyond even the norms of most developed countries.  The role of women, structure of the family unit and family values have all changed incredibly fast in just the last two decades.

Tenerife under Franco

Tenerife is often considered to be the launching pad for Franco's violent struggle for supremacy of Spain.  His dictatorship had a huge effect on the country, and of course Tenerife did not go unscathed.