La Laguna is one of the oldest cities in the Canary Islands, in Tenerife. Numerous events have made La Laguna fall in love with everyone who visits it. Today we discovered five secret facts that will draw your attention to La Laguna
1- Heraldic Coat of Arms
The coat of arms of the city of San Cristobal de La Laguna is the same as that of the island of Tenerife. This is because Queen Juana of Castile granted it a heraldic coat of arms in 1510. And this honor was for the importance of the city at that time. At that time La Laguna was the capital of the Canary Islands. Now it is Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
2- Horse races in La Laguna
Carrera Street is now known as Bishop Rey Redondo (locals still call it Carrera Street). It was named after the ring or ribbon races that were held on horseback along its street. They consisted of a dexterity exercise. Then the rider, starting the race at a gallop from a distance of approximately 100 meters, had to thread, with the help of a short stick as a punch, a ring or ring that hung from a tape rolled up in a reel anchored to a horizontal post placed, at a height of between 2.5 and 3 meters, in two other vertical ones in the shape of a portico.
The race was won by the rider who obtained the most ribbons after completing the previously established series (or passes). Originally, the ribbons were made by the local girls. They assigned their own color and/or embroidery, which served as a guide for the riders trying to get their attention.
3- La laguna is a non-fortified city.
La Laguna was designed following the philosophical principles of the time. One of the key people for its development was the Genoese engineer Leonardo Torriani. Among several engineers they ended up creating the archetype of city-territory. This was the first non-fortified colonial city. It became the example for the new metropolises that were created in the colonization of Latin America. Some of the cities that took San Cristobal de La Laguna as an example were: Havana, Lima, Cartagena de Indias or San Juan de Puerto Rico.
4- Only one street with a curve
Carrera Street is the only one in the whole historical center that has a curve at the end, just before reaching the Plaza del Adelantado. One of the legends tells that our Adelantado (Person who was entrusted with the command of a maritime expedition, granting him in advance the government of the lands he discovered or conquered), did not get along very well with the ecclesiastical power of La Laguna. So he had this street drawn in a curve so as not to see them from his house. Another tells how El Adelantado moved from Villa Arriba to Villa Abajo in a love affair. This ended with the murder of one of his sons. In order to never see the murderers’ house from his new home, he drew Carrera Street with this famous curve.
5- Why the city is called La Laguna?
The name of La Laguna comes from the word Aguere, from the Berber dialects spoken by the Canarian aborigines, and means lagoon. The city was built in a lagoon. In 1826 it was overflowed by a flood and ten years later the Engineering Command decided to drain the lagoon, to protect the existing village and to extend the constructable are. In 1888 the lake had dried up completely but in the rainy season it reappeared due to the humidity of the place. That is one of the reasons of why La laguna is so humid.
I hope you have like the post about this 5 interesting facts of La Laguna, if you want to know more about the Canary Islands follow our blog. And do not hesitate to book the best and more interesting activities to do on the islands at www.tipandtrips.es
