Anthem of the sea: Playa de las Canteras beach

The name of the beach has always been linked to "La Barra" (The Bar), a sedimentary rock of sandstone and calcareous depositions that runs parallel to the shore, providing shelter from the north swell and giving it a personality of its own. Formerly it was known as "Playa del Arrecife" (Reef Beach), because La Barra emerged from the water like a reef. Later, it was exploited as a quarry (Spanish: cantera) to extract the rock that was used, among other uses, for numerous constructions in the city, such as the Cathedral of the Canary Islands. In memory of this practice, now abandoned, the name of Playa de Las Canteras (Beach of the Quarries) survives today.