El Paso

Since pre-Columbian times the island is crossed by paths properly drawn to avoid dangers.  Historians point out that when, in the winter of 1492, Fernandez de Lugo discussed with his officers the best place to enter the kingdom of Tanausu, all agreed and indicated “step” up, the name given to the Cumbrecita or Adamancasis.

Upon reaching the castle they found that these “steps” were marked on the summit east of El Paso, where it is communicated to another part of the island, stressing the importance of the New Summit, Summit of the Old and Lomo Coal.

Friar Abreu Galindo, in his “History of the conquest of the seven Canary Islands,” states that Alonso Fernandez de Lugo tried to enter Ajerjo Pass, which is now called Captain’s Pass by the locals.  Juan Alvarez Benahoarita translates this name as Paso del Capitan.  The name of the town, El Paso, seems to come from these historical and topographical facts.

It has an area of 135.92 square kilometers and is the largest town on the island of La Palma.  Its population, in January 2007, was 7,514 inhabitants.  The center of town, the city of El Paso, is located at an altitude of 644 meters above sea level.  It is the only municipality in the island of La Palma that has no coast.  It borders all of the municipalities on the island except Tazacorte.

Parque Nacional de la Caldera is in this township, as well as Parque Natural de Cumbre Vieja.  Other natural sites of interest are Cumbrecita, Pico Bejenao on the Llano, Black Virigoyo or Verigoyo Peak, the summit, and the Volcano, or Volcano Tacande San Juan.
Canarian pine forests form an important extension of the municipality.  In agriculture the emphasis is on the vineyard (vine), almonds and some fruit.  Until a few decades ago there was also an important livestock trade of goats and cattle, but today this practice is obsolete.
El Paso was home to a tobacco factory founded by the Capote family.  The factory had its beginning in 1923, and years later became part of the multinational RJR.  The factory was then taken over by JTI, who closed the facility in 2000.  Concerning the economy, it is hard to outline the affects the alleged coup had on the town, as the tobacco factory had employed about 250 workers.

The most important festivity of the municipality is that of the Virgen del Pino.  Held every three years, the image of the Virgin Mary is taken from its shrine in the vicinity of the Cumbrecita to the center of town.
Another festivity is The Sacred Heart Corpus.