San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Cultural Heritage in Tenerife
Charlie spent a weekend in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to experience the Carnival festivities on the island and that was a good opportunity to explore the town and the sister city of La Laguna. They’re considered two separate cities, but they are technically one and well connected by bus and tram. The tram ride up to San Cristóbal de La Laguna takes about 30 minutes and provides some scenic views over the sea and the houses alongside the surrounding mountains.
La Laguna was the first city in Tenerife, the former capital, is the location of the university, and since 1999 UNESCO World Heritage as a colonial town without a city wall.
Lagunear: Strolling through town
Charlie did a guided tour through La Laguna and the guide Carlos referred to the stroll through town as “lagunear”, a walk through La Laguna. They started at the Plaza del Adelantado in front of the Convento de Santa Catalina. There was a long queue that Sunday morning to visit this monastery.
The name of the town goes back to the indigenous population of the island. They must have found a lagoon there back in the day. The area was rich and naturally protected by the surrounding mountains. As such, there was no need for a city wall.
The first chapel in La Laguna was built in 1511, the current cathedral is from 1904 and has been renovated from 2002 to 2014 with a new dome.
Further up the same road are also the Teatro Leal and the Iglesia de la Concepción. All along the roads are houses in colonial style in beautiful colours and with typical Canarian balconies. Some of them still have the particular shape of balconies that were used to store grains.
If you get a chance, slip in between the houses towards the bar El Rincón de Tintin where you can see a courtyard between the houses where the stalls for cows used to be.
On a road parallel to this main road are two more churches: The Iglesia de los Dolores and the Iglesia de San Agustín. The latter is at the time of writing a ruin and under construction to turn it into a cultural centre. Next to the church ruin is the former convent of San Agustín which hosts a museum with temporary exhibitions.
Take a coffee in colonial style
Charlie usually doesn’t recommend coffee chains, but this one is worth a visit with a good book or even your laptop: the Starbucks in La Laguna is inside one of the colonial houses on the ground floor of the Mexican Consulate. You wouldn’t want to miss that architectural gem!
