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The Tenerife chapel with a stuffed alligator – and the legend that surrounds it
Myth and history mingle in Icod de los Vinos, where a reptile from Mexico still draws curious visitors
At first glance, it sounds like the start of a tall tale. In a quiet chapel at the foot of Mount Amparo in northern Tenerife, a stuffed alligator rests in a glass case… and nobody can quite agree on how it got there.Locals tell of a humble goatherd who years ago stumbled upon a small lizard in the countryside. Feeling sorry for it, he began to feed it. Over the years, though, the scaly guest grew into a giant, with an appetite to match. Before long it was devouring a goat every few days, putting the shepherd’s flock, and his own life, in danger.
The story goes that one morning, armed with a spear, the shepherd tracked the creature to its cave. After a desperate fight, he killed it, and believing he had been spared by divine intervention, he presented its body to the Virgin of Las Angustias as thanks. According to the legend, the stuffed remains still sit within the chapel today.
But the official version is rather different. Records from the Brotherhood of Angustias and Sorrows of Our Lady of Icod de los Vinos state that the “lizard” is, in fact, a stuffed alligator. It arrived in Tenerife in 1771, brought back from the jungles of Tabasco in Mexico by Captain Torres, who had survived a dangerous encounter with the animal. In gratitude for his survival, he offered it to the Virgin as a votive gift - a custom once common in Spain.
Such offerings were not unusual. Across the country, stuffed animals, paintings and carved figures have been presented to local saints and virgins in thanks for perceived miracles or answered prayers. Over time, true stories often blurred with folklore, giving rise to colourful local legends like the one told in Icod de los Vinos.
Whatever its origin, the alligator has become part of the town’s charm. For some it’s a curious footnote in colonial history, for others a fable of courage and faith handed down through generations. Either way, it continues to draw visitors to the Las Angustias Chapel, standing as a reminder that in Spain’s small towns, the line between history and legend is often delightfully thin.
Image: www.webtenerife.co.uk
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