Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse

The Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse (Spanish: Faro de Punta del Hidalgo) is an active lighthouse in Punta del Hidalgo within the municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the northeast coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

This modern lighthouse has a unique angular design, consisting of unequal and irregular columns of increasing height rising from a triangular base. The lower columns culminate in a final square pillar which faces the sea and supports a light on a small post.^[1]

It is one of seven lighthouses which mark the coastline of Tenerife, and lies between two other modern lighthouses of Puerto de la Cruz to the southwest, and Punta de Anaga to the east.^[1]

The construction of the lighthouse was completed in 1992 and it became operational in 1994, as part of the maritime lighting plan that was drawn up in the 1980s, which included the need for new lights at a number of locations in the Canaries. These included the contemporary designed lights at Puerto de la Cruz and Buenavista on Tenerife, Castilette on Gran Canaria, and Arenas Blancas and Punta Lava on La Palma.^[2][3]

The 50-metre-high (160 ft) lighthouse is built of reinforced concrete. Materials used in its construction were brought in specially, including the white gravel, and coloured concrete used to produce the white finish. A system of sliding scaffolding was used to complete the project within a few months in 1992.^[3] With a focal height of 52 metres (171 ft) above sea level, the light can be seen for 16 nautical miles. Its light characteristic is made up of a pattern of two flashes of white light every seven seconds.^[1][4]

The lighthouse is maintained by the Port authority of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is registered under the international Admiralty number D2818 and has the NGA identifier of 113–23854.^[1][4]

In 2007, Hidalgo in conjunction with five other Spanish lighthouses was depicted in a set of six commemorative stamps by the postal service Correos.^[5]

Anaga

Punta Abona

Punta Rasca

Punta de Teno

Buenavista

Puerto de la Cruz

Punta del Hidalgo

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Map showing the principal lighthouses of Tenerife

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Spain: Canary Islands". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
2. ^ "Los faros que alumbran et Atlantico" (in Spanish). teldeactualidad.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Tres destellos cada 16 segundos" (in Spanish). laopinion.es. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
4. ^ ^{a b} List of Lights, Pub. 113: The West Coasts of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Azovskoye More (Sea of Azov) (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2014. p. 417.
5. ^ "Faros 2007". Stamp Issues. Correos. Retrieved 20 September 2015.