The initiative, included in the program of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of La Laguna World Heritage City, will open to the public on December 4.

A spatiotemporal singularity is forming in the alley Deán Palahí, the narrow cobbled passage that connects the Plaza del Adelantado with Viana Street and that runs between the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena and the palace of Nava de La Laguna. Coinciding with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the city as a World Heritage Site, on December 4 this road will be closed to ensure the safety of passers-by and open a Time Tunnel that, just by passing through a door, will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the daily life of the early nineteenth century in La Laguna, where high society, the “tapadas” and the different trades coexist and adapt to a context of war and major changes.

El Túnel del tiempo is an initiative of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Rural Development of the City Council of La Laguna, a recreation of this interesting historical period that will be performed by Troysteatro and with the participation of Ubaldo Vestimenta Tradicional in the setting and costumes, as well as the collaboration of the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena.

The Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, notes that “this is already one of the most original and anticipated events of the program of the Big Week, with which we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the inclusion of our historical complex in the list of World Heritage of Unesco. We believe it is an opportunity to learn, in a fun and different way, the rich heritage and history of our city, an action that becomes a strong outreach proposal to promote the defense and protection of our cultural, historical and intangible assets.”

The Tunnel of Time will open its doors between December 4 and 8, in the morning and afternoon. Access to the so-called “alley of the nuns” will be from the side of the Plaza del Adelantado, with free entry until the capacity of each group is reached, as people will be circulating through the tunnel to make way for the next one. The schedule for the five days will be from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00 hours.

War of Independence and the Supreme Junta

The historian and popularizer Néstor Verona, who has participated in the design of this original proposal, explains that “we will place the action in the period of the War of Independence, between 1808 and 1814. At that time, Spain was at war with France, after Napoleon’s invasion of the Peninsula. During those years, there was an extraordinary power vacuum in the Canary Islands, as the Governor and the Captain General went to war, while Napoleon removed the King of Spain and replaced him with his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, who would go down in history with the nickname of Pepe Botella”.

“Faced with this misrule,” Verona stresses, ”the nobles of La Laguna, led by Alonso de Nava y Grimón, Marquis of Villanueva del Prado, and some members of the Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country of Tenerife, founded the Supreme Board of the Canary Islands, a provisional governing body for the duration of the conflict.”

And to recreate this historical context, Deán Palahí will be filled with everyday scenes, with characters that will address the public as if they were just another walker among so much daily hustle and bustle, such as the winemaker who collects the barrels from the palace of Nava, the pinochero, the gangochera, the washerwoman, the milkmaid, the basket maker, the hatmaker, the butcher or the tavern keeper.

Some scenes organized in different stations that will go through, including the Marquise María del Rosario Pérez de Barradas y Fernández de Henestrosa or the “tapadas”, the women who, to go out in the street, wore different garments, hiding part of the body and face, while leaving in sight both eyes or only one. This custom, prohibited by Charles III in the 18th century, survived in the town until the middle of the 19th century.

Drone show postponed

Due to the weather forecast and for safety reasons, the drone show initially scheduled for this Sunday, December 1, has been postponed to a date yet to be determined within the year of the 25th anniversary. All the updated information on the program can be consulted on the website https://25aniversario.aytolalaguna.es/