La Palma is an island full of mysteries. The Salto del Enamorado, Roberto's Wall, or the twin dragon trees, are just some of the legends that live on in the lips and hearts of the Palmerians. Stories that have been passed down from father to son since the island was colonized in 1492, and that are usually told by the fire of a barbecue or at any popular festival on the island.
Recognized by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve and declared a Starlight Reserve and Destination, the legends of La Palma have their roots in the pre-Hispanic period, when the profile of the mountains or the thick forests of this island bathed by starlight were the perfect setting to let the imagination fly.
Tests of Love: El Salto del Enamorado, Roberto's Wall and The Twin Dragos
Considered one of the most popular stories on the island, the legend of Salto del Enamorado takes place in the area of La Galga, now the municipality of Puntallana. According to the myth, two lovers lived there. She was smart and beautiful and he was brave and honest. But the young woman was also capricious, so she asked her beloved as a condition of marriage to jump three times on his shepherd's pole over the abyss to show her how much he loved her. The young manwas victorious in the first two attempts, but fell into the abyss in the third jump, entering forever into the history of the island. Currently you can visit the sculpture of the lover in the Mirador del Salto del Enamorado one of the most spectacular viewpoints of the island that also serves as an astronomical viewpoint.
Also between the Mirador de Los Andenes and El Roque de Los Muchachos there is a point that has inspired numerous reflections and stories. There is a natural wall that formerly interrupted the passage of walkers. They call it Roberto's Wall. Legend has it that the Devil erected it to prevent the love of two young people from different sides of the island. It is also said that, desperate not to see her, Roberto asked Satan to allow him to pass in exchange for his soul. He granted her wish, but the boy came wrapped in flames to embrace her one last time.
In Breña Alta you can see the legendary Twin Dragos, twin brothers who fought to the death for the love of a young girl. They say that she, desolate, searched all over the island for draco tree seeds, planted two in the same place and these trees grew with their trunks and even their branches intertwined.
The Light of the High Cliff
El Time which in the pre-Hispanic or Benahorita voice means “high cliff”, creates the margin and northern border of the valley of Aridane. At its feet, at the bottom of the deep and abysmal ravine, in a narrow strip of land, there is a small shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, in an image of the Virgin stroking her dead son with her gaze and caress. A wooden bridge, without railing, next to the hermitage and the water mill gave way over the torrent of the ravine to the other bank, going up again by another steep path that led to the valley.
They say that on a distant moonless night another desperate mother went to the royal road of Amagar, which linked Tijarafe with Los Llanos de Aridane, passing by the sanctuary of Las Angustias, in search of health for her little son who was more dead than alive. When she reached the top, the wind and rain extinguished the lantern she was carrying. After falling on her face against a pine wood with the shape of a cross, she tore it apart and made a torch, producing the brightest and most unimaginable light for a walker.
When days later her son was healed, the mother picked up a new, heavy cross to place it where she had torn off the old one. As she fulfilled her mission a light in the form of a cross dazzled her and made her prostrate on her knees, while a sweet, close and tender voice told her: "Woman, I know your sorrow and your sin; your son mourns your absence, go with him. Your promise is fulfilled."
From those distant times, it is said that a glow began to be observed on the slopes of Amagar, which they called "the light of the High Cliff", wandering and waiting to serve as a guide to walkers...and the legend continued.
These legends of La Palma are not only still alive on the island, but each one keeps the memory of a noble people that to this day continues with the principles of love and protection for those who visit them with good intentions.