This free initiative will allow to know, through its streets and monuments, the Outstanding Universal Value that has earned it its declaration as a World Heritage City.

On the occasion of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of La Laguna as a World Heritage City, which will be celebrated on 4 December, the Department of Cultural Heritage and Localiando are organising four free heritage routes which, from today until Friday, will allow visitors to learn about the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the city and the criteria of the UNESCO Operational Guidelines that have justified the inclusion of the historic centre of La Laguna on the World Heritage List.

The councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, and the art historian, official tourist guide and representative of Localiando, Elisa Falcón Lisón, today presented all the details of this initiative, with which ‘we want to make these values understandable, in a practical way and with examples in the protected territory itself, as well as the importance of our city in world history and culture,’ said the councillor.

Through these routes, ‘citizens and visitors will be able to get to know the architecture, historical monuments and elements that reflect the rich heritage of La Laguna, an activity that also allows us to reflect on the importance of preserving and protecting this legacy for future generations. Because the declaration of La Laguna as a World Heritage City is not only a recognition of its historical and cultural value, but also a commitment to its conservation and promotion’, added Cordobés.

Elisa Falcón explained the details of these guided tours, which ‘will visit different heritage landmarks of the historical complex, such as the old convent of the Augustinians, today the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto, which was the limit indicated by the Adelantado Alonso Fernández de Lugo for the re-foundation of the town in the year 1500, the moment when the new regular urban grid was initiated and which has been preserved intact to this day’.

In addition, ‘we will visit the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife (MHAT), in its headquarters in the Lercaro house, or the Cedocam (Canary Islands America Documentation Centre), buildings which, both architecturally and for their valuable collections, are evidence of the rich exchange of cultural values between Europe, the Canary Islands and the New World, which has been recognised for La Laguna by Unesco’, added Falcón.

The tours will also include the Plaza del Adelantado, the founding nucleus of the Villa de Abajo and whose layout as a main square will serve as a model for urban planning in America. Another place of special interest for the public will be the visit to the recently restored Anchieta House, the residence of the Brazilian evangelist and intellectual José de Anchieta, who lived in the town during his childhood and adolescence.

The tours will be held at 11:00 am on 26 and 28 November, while on 27 and 29 November they will take place in the afternoon, departing at 17:00 pm. The activity is aimed at small groups and those interested can send their registration request to info@localiando.com.

About the OUV and the Guidelines

On 4 December 1999, the World Heritage Committee meeting in Marrakech (Morocco) agreed to inscribe the historic complex of La Laguna on the World Heritage List.

The criteria of the Operational Guidelines for cultural heritage to which the city conforms and which accredit its OUV include ‘bearing witness to an important exchange of human values, over a period of time or within a cultural area of the world, in the development of architecture, technology, monumental arts, town planning or landscape design’, as well as ‘providing an eminent example of a type of building, architectural ensemble, technology or landscape, illustrating a significant stage in human history’.

Also, according to Unesco, cultural property must meet the values of integrity and authenticity, which are also present in La Laguna.

The Unesco Convention on World Cultural and Natural Heritage states in its first article that monuments, ensembles and/or sites of outstanding universal value, i.e. ‘of such outstanding cultural and/or natural significance as to transcend national boundaries and to be of importance for present and future generations of mankind as a whole’, shall be considered as cultural heritage.