| Arucas | |
| Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Spain Province of Las Palmas#Canary Islands#Spain with Canary Islands |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the province of Las Palmas |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Spain |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canary Islands |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Las Palmas |
| Subdivision Type3: | Island |
| Subdivision Name3: | Gran Canaria |
| Area Total Km2: | 33.01 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Elevation M: | 240 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Coordinates: | 28.1188°N -15.5231°W |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Municipal code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | E-35006 |
Arucas is a municipality in the northern part of the island of Gran Canaria, province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Arucas borders Las Palmas to the west and is part of its urban area. Its population is 36,852 (2013),[2] and the area is 33.01km2.[1] The GC-2 motorway passes north of the town.
The Church of San Juan Bautista is the leading architectural and social monument in the municipality. It was built entirely in Arucas stone by local master masons, and it dates from 1909. Apart from the wealth of the carved stone columns and column heads, there are also some beautiful stained glass windows, the works of Canary Island painter Cristobal Hernandez de Quintana, and an extraordinary carving of the Reclining Christ, by Manuel Ramos.[3] To the north is the Montaña de Arucas which is thought to be the area where courageous Doramas the Guanche leader was killed in 1481 by Pedro de Vera in the Battle of Arucas. Arucas is known for the production of rum.[4]
Arucas was rebuilt in 1480 after being completely destroyed in 1478. Since the 15th century, the main crop of the Arucas area was sugar cane. Rum was produced here long before sugar plantations were cultivated in Cuba. One of the main features of modern-day Arucas is its rum factory.[5] Arucas boomed with the demand for cochineal (a beetle feeding off cactus pear, crushed to produce red dye) in the second half of the 19th century.