The church San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist) de Telde is the true spiritual centre of Telde. Located in the square of the same name and founded in 1483, the old church was erected by the Garcia del Castillo family at the time of the town's foundation. It still has the original gateway, an example of
Sevillian-
Portuguese Gothic architecture. The towers, however, are an example of early 20th neo-Gothic construction. The real marvels are inside the building: the statue of Christ on the main altar, made from corn dough by the
Purépecha Mexican Indians, brought here before 1550, the
Flemish Gothic main altar, which dates back to before 1516, and the triptych of the
Virgin Mary, brought from
Flanders, also in the 16th century, depicting five religious scenes. Telde has 101 archaeological sites and 709 listed sites of ethnographic interest. The number of sites increases each year, as do new aspects of old fields, but most are in disrepair and many are disappearing. Some of the most prominent are the coastal town of Tufia, in good condition and extensively excavated by archaeologists;
Four Doors (
Cuatro Puertas), a large cave with four doors located on top of a mountain overlooking the plain adjoined to a village of
cave houses with collective barn at the back; the caves of Tara and Cendro, remains of the ancient centre of population; the town of Draguillo on the border with
Ingenio;
las cuevas Chalasia which consist of a labyrinthine series of artificial caves linked by tunnels; and the impressive
necropolis of Jinámar which includes more than 500 tombs of various types. == Climate ==