The Castle of La Luz

The Castillo de La Luz is the oldest defensive fortress on Gran Canaria. It was built at the same time as the Casa Real de Las Palmas, in June 1478. At the end of the fifteenth century, the fortress’ original structure consisted of a Medieval-style square-shaped enclosure of three floors in height. One peculiar feature of the fortress is the manner in which it was completed in three phases. The initial development centred around what is known as the Fajardo Tower, which was complemented by an artillery barrier in 1547 and, finally, an outer wall in 1563.

In the middle of last century, the Castillo de la Luz was declared a Site of Cultural Interest. It was refurbished as an art museum by the architects Nieto-Sobejano. During the renovation of the building as a museum, parts of the original construction were discovered, sections that had been concealed for five centuries, due to the filler that had been deposited to build the outer wall in the sixteenth century.

“It is my wish that my works can be observed naturally, as if it had always been there”

Martín Chirino