Recorrido por la historia y patrimonio de Tejina
Tejina is preparing to celebrate its patron saint festivities in honor of San Bartolomé and this month will kick off the program of events with a proposal that has been a local tradition for 11 years, the Tejina History Dissemination Conference. From July 25 to 31, the Teatro Unión Tejina and the Centro Ciudadano Francisco González will host a dozen conferences that, with the presence of distinguished specialists, will address life from the Achimenceyato of Addar to the second half of the 19th century, including the connection of Amaro Pargo with the northeastern region, the lives and trades of women in half a millennium of local history, and judicial practices after the conquest.
In addition, the initiative will offer analysis at the island and regional level, with presentations on the sustainability of cultural landscapes, the state of heritage in Tenerife, new documentary research, or the digitization of the sacramental books of San Bartolomé de Tejina, complemented by the exhibition «How We Have Changed,» prepared by the students of Second Year of Baccalaureate at IES Doctor Antonio González.
The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, emphasizes the institutional support for an initiative that «goes beyond its academic value and has a profound cultural and emotional impact on the community, a neighborhood commitment to the roots that democratizes knowledge and encourages more people to research and share their work. Additionally, these Conferences bring together different neighborhood and cultural groups to revalue local history, an essential part of the soul of Tejina and all of La Laguna.»
This eleventh edition has the participation of the Cultural Heritage Department of the La Laguna City Council, the San Sebastián Cultural Association, the Las Tres Calles Neighbors Association, the Teatro Unión Tejina, the Corazones de Tejina Association, Fuentes de Tejina, and the Reyes Magos Cultural Association of this town in La Laguna.
The Councilor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, values «the involvement of so many entities in Conferences that constitute a celebration of the intangible heritage of the community and provide a new dimension to the festive calendar, reaffirming that the Patron Saint Festivities in honor of San Bartolomé are not just devotion and joy, but also memory and knowledge.»
Furthermore, the councilor explains that «from the cultural heritage perspective, they play a key role, as they preserve collective memory, reinforce local identity, and ensure the transmission of knowledge between generations. Through accessible and deeply documented presentations, they rescue stories, traditions, toponymy, and historical figures that would otherwise be forgotten, demonstrating that a town that cares for its history adds richness to the world. Thus, Tejina and La Laguna not only remember their past: they celebrate, teach, and project it into the future with pride and awareness.»
Conference Program
The institutional opening will take place on July 25 at 7:30 pm at the Teatro Unión Tejina and will feature the presentations «Judicial Practices and Conflict Resolution in Tenerife after the conquest,» by Roberto González Zalacaín, and «Healing Women: a journey through popular Canarian medicine,» by Grecy Pérez Amores.
Both the inauguration of the exhibition, which will be on the 28th at 6:00 pm, and the rest of the conferences will be held at the Centro Ciudadano Francisco González, in the afternoon. Access is free and subject to capacity.
On that Monday, July 28, the activity will continue with «The connection of Amaro Rodríguez Felipe (Amaro Pargo) and his descendants with the northeastern region of La Laguna,» by Francisco Braian Cabrera Alonso, followed by «Historical Curiosities of San Diego del Monte in La Laguna,» by Carlos García, and «Risco Caído World Heritage Site: Opportunities and threats for the sustainability of a cultural landscape,» directed by José de León Hernández.
On Tuesday, starting at 7:30 pm, it will be the turn for the presentations «Digitization of the Sacramental Books of San Bartolomé Apóstol in Tejina,» by David Corbella Guadalupe, and «The Machado Collection (IECAN). Initial results regarding its analysis from Historical Archival Science,» by Gabriela de Luis Zarate.
The following day, July 30, at the same time, Paula Barbero Fernández will speak on «Wet Nurses, female labor, and family in the villages near the cities of Tenerife: a path to Tejina from the historical records,» followed by Augusto José Farrujia De la Rosa, who will talk about «The Achimenceyato of Addar and the Guanche world.»
The program will conclude on Thursday, July 31, starting at 7:30 pm, with the presentation by Juan Antonio Jorge Peraza on «Heritage in the island of Tenerife: The state of affairs,» followed by Juan Luis Herrera Pérez, with the lecture «Tejina in 1879: diagnosis of a moment.»
