Arona

Before the Spanish conquest, most of what is now Arona municipality formed part of the Guanche kingdom known as Abona. The people of this territory used the volcanic lowlands of the Rasca for grazing and harvested resources from the shore. The distinctive rocky outcrops in the middle zone of the municipality served as places of worship.

A tradition recorded by the Tenerife historian and physician Juan Bethencourt Alfonso describes the arrival at Los Cristianos beach of around two hundred men landed from several ships. Many had had their tongues cut out, and among them were priests of the Christian faith, whom the Guanches called "babilones." From early on, Arona's territory fell under the civil and religious authority of Vilaflor. In 1643, Berber pirates attacked through the port of Los Cristianos but were driven back on the slopes of Montaña Chayofita.

The same coastline was targeted again in 1746, this time by English pirates, with local militias successfully preventing a landing. Arona became a municipality in 1812 following the proclamation of the Constitution of Cádiz, which established constitutional councils across Spain. Its status was confirmed definitively in 1836, after years of political turbulence between constitutional and absolutist governments.

The municipality changed dramatically from the 1960s onward, when the coastal areas, Los Cristianos, Las Galletas, and Las Américas, underwent rapid development driven by the tourism boom that swept the Canary Islands. The southern location, with its reliable sun and beach weather, made it especially attractive to European visitors.