The Casa de El Capitán is located in the area of the town known as El Calvario, maintaining a history closely linked to the family who built it and who used it as a residence until the end of the 19th century, the Alfonso family. One of the descendants of this family, Miguel Alfonso Martínez, born in 1780, had a great fame in the village, among other things for being the highest ranking military man in the municipality in his time, which is the reason why, after five generations, the house is still known as La Casa de El Capitán (The Captain’s House).
The house was built at the beginning of the 19th century, a traditional Canarian building, typical of the wealthiest class, with a main floor with a courtyard, to which the rooms lead, as well as a semi-basement with a cellar, barns and storehouses for farm implements, reflecting the great activity that the family carried out. With a conservative appearance, the materials used in its construction are those typical of the area: masonry walls, teak wood, slabs and Arabic terracotta tiles.
After a fire in 1978, the Town Council of San Miguel de Abona acquired it in 1998 and decided to restore it for its opening as a museum of traditional arts in 2005, with rooms focused on the Traditional Pottery of San Miguel de Abona, the history of the municipality, the History of the House, an auditorium and exhibitions, as well as the history of wine, the history of the camel and the camel driver, Canarian handicrafts…
