San Andrés has had numerous names throughout its history. The Guanches called the two valleys that make up San Andrés "Abicor" and "Ibaute", being current and valleys of Cercado de Las Huertas respectively. According to some scholars "Abicor" was associated with fig trees, while others are similar to African voices to refer tothe hives. Already after the arrival of the Spaniards, the valley became known in the early years of the Higueras Valley, Valle de Las Higueras and Los Sauces, Valle de Salazar and Valle de San Andrés interchangeably. Finally prevail the current name of San Andrés. However, during the first half of the twentieth century was also known as "San Andres de Pots" by the major pottery production.
History
The area has been populated since the Guanches, in fact, according to contemporary sources to the conquest of the Canary Islands, one of the caves where the aboriginal king of Anaga resided was in the San Andrés Valley. At the time of the conquest, this mencey was Beneharo. In 1498, the CastilianDon Lope de Salazar received these lands after the conquest. From 1505-1510 Don Lope, built the chapel, on which the current church is based, and he placed two images: St. Andrew the Apostle, by special devotion, and Saint Lucy, in honor of the name of his wife. St. Andrew Church was constructed on a structure from an earlier period. Also in San Andrés is the Castle of San Andrés, which was built to defend Tenerife of the assaults of the pirates. A fortress used to exist, with a tower built in 1706, but was destroyed by storms in 1740 and 1896. In 1973 the administration brought 4 million bags of Sahara sand to the island into the Las Teresitas beach and improved the infrastructure. The Spanish court stopped larger tourist properties in 1984. In a cave on the outskirts of this locality was discovered the famous Mummy of San Andrés, a mummified body belonging to the guanche culture. It is now held in the Museum of the Nature and the Man in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In nearby Macizo de Anaga one finds the zone of "El Bailadero", so named because, according to the old legends, it was the place where witches danced around bonfires and practiced witchcraft.
