San Cristóbal de La Laguna

Sister cities

• São Paulo
• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• Old Havana

History

The land upon which the city now stands belonged to the Menceyato de Anaga, which was one of nine aboriginal Guanche kingdoms on the island until its conquest by the Kingdom of Castile. The valley of Aguere (where the city lies) and especially the large lake that was in this place, was a place of pilgrimage for the aborigines of the island. The Battle of Aguere was fought in the city in 1494. The city was founded between 1496 and 1497 by Alonso Fernández de Lugo and became the capital of the island of Tenerife after the conclusion of the conquest of the islands. Later the city became the capital of all of the Canary Islands. In 1582, the city suffered an epidemic of plague that resulted in between 5,000 and 9,000 deaths. The layout of the city resembles that of many Spanish colonial cities in the Americas. Since the urban plan of the city of La Laguna was the model for these Latin American cities. The University of La Laguna was founded in 1701. A declining population and economy in the 18th century resulted in the transfer of the capital to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1723. Santa Cruz has since been the capital of the island of Tenerife and the sole capital of the Canary Islands until 1927, since which time the capital of the Canary Islands has been shared with the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Tenerife North Airport at Los Rodeos was opened in the 1930s and is today expanding. The historic center of the city was declared a World Heritage Site on 2 December 1999. Several streets of historical significance have been closed off to automobile traffic. La Laguna has often been called the «Florence of the Canary Islands», due to its many churches and convents, as well as its old town and historic buildings. Also due to the fact that the city was the cradle or…