CASA DE COLÓN, LAS PALMAS
One of the capital’s most delightful buildings is a wonderful museum where the main focus is the discovery of America. In the 15th century, the governor’s home stood on this site, though the building has changed considerably since then. While not certain, it’s very likely that this is where Christopher Columbus stayed in 1492 before he set off in search of a shortcut to India and unwittingly stumbled across America instead.
NEED TO KNOW
C/Colón 1 • 928 31 23 73 • www.casadecolon.com Open 10am–6pm Mon–Sat, 10am–3pm Sun • Adm: €4.00 • Guided tours available
- Restaurante Marsala on C/Mendizábal is a popular upmarket spot for lunch.
- Do visit the Ermita de San Antonio Abad, 50 m (164 ft) from the museum. Columbus is said to have prayed here before his journey across the Atlantic.
Casa de Colón Floorplan
1. Historical Las Palmas
Children love the interactive model of late-17th-century Las Palmas. There are also models of the Castillo de la Luz and Rejón’s settlement of 1478.
Model of Las Palmas
2. Pre-Columbian Art
The crypt contains some remarkable reproductions of Mexican and Ecuadorian pottery from 500 BC to the 10th century. Most are idols, while others are decorative pieces.
3. Reproduction of La Niña
Be transported back to the 15th century in this replica of La Niña, said to have been Columbus’s favourite ship. Of special note is the voyager’s cabin, complete with a painting and crucifix from the original vessel.
4. Façade
If you view the museum from the cobbled streets around it, you can spot details of Las Palmas’s earliest architecture – parts of the façade date from the 1500s. However, the current building bears little resemblance to the original structure.
Façade of the museum
5. Canarian Emigration
Once the transatlantic route was established, Canarians started emigrating in their hundreds. Paintings and information panels tell the story of the exodus and of the trades that thrived then failed.
6. The Discovery
You can trace the four journeys Columbus made across the Atlantic on maps of his version of the world. A reproduction of his diary lies open at the page detailing his first stop in the Canary Islands, when he came ashore at Las Palmas and La Gomera before crossing the ocean.
7. Early Navigation
See absorbing old maps, atlases and a rare 16th-century bronze astrolabe. Trace the changing perceptions of the world from Ptolemy’s sophisticated 2nd-century map through to increasingly accurate efforts in the 1500s.
Historic bronze astrolabe
8. Historic Paintings
A whistle-stop tour through 500 years of art starts with early religious paintings. Make sure you visit the room dedicated to Canarian artists, with colourful 20th-century landscapes and a painting by local artist Néstor de la Torre.
Rare paintings at Casa de Colón
9. Model and Maps of the Island
Plan your stay using a 3D model showing ravines, craters and mountains – an up-to-date view of the island’s topography.
10. Ceilings and Courtyards
The reproduction Mudéjar ceilings are very impressive. Upstairs is the only original section that is ornately carved.
LOVE ON THE HIGH SEAS?
Some historians suggest that there was more on Columbus’ mind than favourable winds when he chose to pass through the Canaries. The decision to stop at La Gomera, rather than the larger Tenerife, to stock up on supplies, fuel-led suspicion that he was visiting his lover Beatriz de Bobadilla, a member of the Spanish court.
