Casas de los Sánchez-Ochando Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Houses of the Sánchez-Ochando
Casa del Conde

General information
Architectural style	Mudejar and neoclassical
Town or city	Santa Maria de Guia de Gran Canaria
Country	Canary Islands
Coordinates	28°08′21″N 15°37′59″W / 28.139132376405072°N 15.633185505867003°W
Construction started	1600; 425 years ago (1600)
Completed	1600; 425 years ago (1600)

The Casas de los Sánchez-Ochando (which means Sánchez-Ochando's houses in English) are a set of old homes in Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria. These houses show us what traditional homes for wealthy families in the Canary Islands used to look like. Today, only two of these special houses are still standing.

History of the Houses
- The Marqués del Muni Street House
Gallery
See also

History of the Houses

In the early 1800s, the land where these houses stand belonged to the Alonso Riverol family. About 200 years later, the land was passed down to the Sánchez-Ochando family.

Over time, the land was divided among family members through inheritance. Some parts became the property of Juan del Castillo Westherling. He was known as the Count of the Vega Grande de Guadalupe. Because of this, the houses were often called Casa del Conde, meaning 'House of the Count'.

These houses are very important to the Historic Set of the City of Guía. They are special because they stayed in one family for a long time. They also represent two types of grand homes from the 1600s. Many important families lived here, including the Vetancourt, Riverol, Merino, Falcón, Aríñez, and Bilbao families.

One of the houses, which closes off an alley, was started in the 1600s. Its front looks like typical manor houses in Gran Canaria. It has a stone frame around the main door and a window above it. This window has a stone ledge and decorative top. The house usually has four drainpipes.

The front of this house has a roof with four slopes. From the nearby Las Huertas area, you can see a wide balcony. This balcony is supported by special brackets called jabalcones.

This old building shows us how people used to build homes. However, it is now empty and not being cared for. The stone frame has been painted the same color as the wall. This change doesn't match the traditional look. Also, in 2019, a modern building was built in front of the house. This makes it harder to see the house in its original historical setting.

The Marqués del Muni Street House

This house is the one that gave the whole group the nickname 'House of the Count'. When you turn the corner, you can see how different its sides are. The side facing west has a large, plain wall with only two rows of windows.

The front of the house, however, looks very neoclassical. Its windows are perfectly placed and have stone frames around them. An elegant decorative top, called a cornice, sits above the building on the side facing the old La Cruz street.

This house also has beautiful iron railings on its six windows and balcony. These railings were made by a blacksmith and feature classic designs of plants and animals.

Like the other house, this one is also in poor condition. For example, its wide balcony has completely disappeared over time.