This is our ninth stop: Aduana House (Customs House).
The Customs House dates from (1620), and is the only building of civil character of that century that is preserved in the urban center of Puerto de la Cruz.
The surroundings of the Customs House emerged from the beginning of the century XVI as a place of departure for the productions of the Orotava Valley.
The Customs House was formed by the Battery of Santa Barbara, the old shelter of the Royal Customs and the house of the Prieto Alfaro, descendants of the Franchy.
The Franchy family leased it to the Royal Treasury to accommodate the customs offices as the residence of the administrators until 1833.
His Majesty King Philip IV in his Royal Order of 1648 granted Puerto de la Cruz the title of "Key of the island", as symbolized in his heraldic shield.
In 1689 the Puerto de la Cruz reached its greatest development in the second half of the century XVIII, propitiated by the destruction of the nearby port of Garachico after the volcanic eruption of 1706.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Port experienced its last moments of splendor. It even became the main commercial centre of the Canary Islands.
After this mirage, a crisis arose until then unknown: the emigration, the plagues, new port of Santa Cruz made Puerto de la Cruz become a secondary mercantile center.
Many uses have been given to the Customs House since its origin.
Its initial mission was to manage and monitor that the legal rules of transits were fulfilled, but this was not it's only mission. His short stays were also the seat of the British Consulate.
The Customs House survived through the crisis thanks to the Baillon family, who acquired the house in 1963, using it as a personal residence while keeping a part open to the public.
In 1810, the common exterior space of the house and the battery witnessed an event that would mark one of the blackest pages in local history, a fact known as the "French Mutiny", the consequence of which was the cruel lynching of two French peacekeepers who lived in the Port of the Cross and were accused of collaborating with the Napoleonic troops, who at that time faced the Spanish in the War of Independence.
Attached to the Customs House appears a cross called "La Carola". It is the oldest known in Puerto de la Cruz, perhaps the first, which marked the Christianization and where the city took its name.
It is located next to the steps that would previously serve to give passengers access to passport and customs control.
It has two shrouds, the oldest being the one placed on the cross of the neighboring Casa Miranda. The other is made of cloth and thread brought from London.
At this point we will finish our route, thanks for your attention, we hope you have enjoyed the route.
