Caserio de Icor

The Icor Farmhouse is a jewel of Canarian rural architecture located on a ridge at an altitude of approximately 330 m in the municipality of Arico. Declared a Historic Site and Site of Cultural Interest in 2005, this small settlement combines simplicity and harmony, consisting of masonry houses with gabled roofs and central courtyards, strategically arranged to provide shelter from the wind and take advantage of the morning sun.

Its origins date back to the 16th century, when families—presumably descendants of Guanche settlers who lived in nearby caves—began to build with local stone, such as tosca blanca or chasnera, surrounded by wheat fields, vineyards, and orchards. Some two-story houses include the typical "tronja" or granary, with exterior access via a tuff staircase and a rustic balcony: an emblematic element of the farmhouse, visible and evocative.

Throughout the 18th century, Icor had about six houses and about 20 inhabitants; In the 19th century, it grew to 11 buildings and 36 residents, and at the end of the 20th century, it reached higher population peaks before experiencing rural depopulation, a regrettable phenomenon that has left many homes abandoned and in need of restoration.

Icor's ethnographic value also lies in its communal spaces: the small stone ledge next to the door of a house, used for neighborhood conversations; the drainage ditches still visible in the surrounding area; and the church or hermitage that presided over religious life. There is even a Guanche cave located under the granary, a silent witness to the first settlers.

Today, touring Icor is to enter a place frozen in time: the light on the stone, the silence interrupted only by birds, and the arid yet fertile landscape make this hamlet a refuge for those seeking authenticity. Despite its visible beauty, its residents are crying out for institutional attention that will allow this heritage to be preserved, both living and precarious.