The Cofete cemetery: sand and silence by the ocean

Cofete cemetery is not such an easy place to find. From Morro Jable you have to be prepared for 20 kilometers of dirt road.
Generally, people come here for Playa de Cofete and don’t pay much attention to the small and hidden cemetery and, even less, to the history that distinguishes the past of the area.

The past of the Cofete Cemetery

Everything in Cofete began around the 19th century when some families moved from Morro Jable, at the time just a small fishing village.
They were looking for new pastures and lands to improve their lives.
Then things changed again in the early 30s of the last century, when Gustav Winter a rich German man bought practically the entire peninsula of Jandia.
Winter began the construction of a large villa (Villa Winter clearly visible from Playa de Cofete) on the first slopes of the mountain and carried out major works of agricultural arrangement.
The small village of Cofete was thus able to grow and even count more than 100 inhabitants, most of them in the service of the rich German owner.

During the Second World War it seems that the whole area was isolated; one could neither go out nor enter.
In those years the cemetery of Cofete was enriched with many new crosses.
Wooden crosses, many of them without names.
The Cofete Cemetery is surrounded by a low wall and small sand dunes that are slowly covering it day after day.
The main structure with the wooden door that establishes the main entrance is still intact.
To the right of the door was a block of black stone where the names of all the deceased are recorded.

The last burial dates back to the mid-1950s

The Legend of the Airstrip

There are many things that Cofete and the whole surrounding area have become legendary and mysterious.
In addition to the small cemetery on the ocean, the wonderful beach and the mythical road to arrive we can certainly mention the airstrip.
We’re talking about an airstrip that Gustav Winter allegedly had built in the mid-1950s to better connect the area and allow planes to arrive and depart.
However, legend has it that the track was created for particular uses linked to the presence of a submarine base near Cofete.