The tribute is held as part of the commemorative events for the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the only World Heritage City in the Canary Islands.
The Plenary Hall of the City Council of La Laguna hosted yesterday the ceremony of presentation of the medal of the city to Professor of Art History Maisa Navarro Segura, a distinction with which the municipality wants to honour its commitment to the defence, protection and dissemination of the heritage values of the only historic city in the Canary Islands that has been declared a World Heritage Site.
The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, presented this distinction at a ceremony attended by the Rector of the University of La Laguna (ULL), Francisco García and the local Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, as well as representatives of the municipal Corporation, the ULL and the citizens of La Laguna.
The mayor thanked Navarro “for her perseverance and leadership, which has been fundamental for La Laguna to be able to celebrate the 25th anniversary of such an important milestone in our history, which has marked the development of the municipality and which has established a commitment to the protection and safeguarding of our heritage for future generations. We hope to continue to count on their collaboration and knowledge to face the new challenges that, with the process of reflection and analysis that we have begun based on the experience of this first quarter of a century, we will face in the coming years”.
Gutiérrez also explained that the key has been made for the occasion by the local workshop Krijer Hermanos Orfebres, “a unique silver work, which combines a tribute to the Baroque tradition of silverwork in the style of La Laguna with a reinterpretation of the Rosa de los Vientos, which Navarro knew how to recognise in our urban layout and masterfully accredited in his research”.
Navarro gave a talk entitled “The historic city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna: rethinking its future”, in which she reviewed the history of all the actions carried out in defence of La Laguna’s heritage, even recalling the mobilisations of the University’s students and teaching staff in the 1970s.
In this conference, which was broadcast live and is available at the link https://www.youtube.com/live/FcA8pofrRVM?si=pX42B4ccyeQSuvtS, she went into the exceptional universal value of the historic city and the need to take new steps to ensure its safeguarding.
This recognition of Maisa Navarro is in addition to the recognition that will be given to her next Wednesday at the institutional ceremony with which the town wishes to show its gratitude to all the people who were essential in achieving this important designation by Unesco.
Maisa Navarro and her role in the inclusion on the World Heritage List
On 1 November 1998, Maisa Navarro began her work as scientific coordinator of the drafting of the application file for the inscription of the Conjunto Histórico de San Cristóbal de La Laguna Cultural Heritage Site on the World Heritage List, in other words, the development of the essential technical justification that was necessary to initiate the file that would later lead to its recognition by Unesco.
Since the 1977-1978 academic year, Navarro has carried out her teaching and research work at the University of La Laguna, where she has been Professor of Art History since 2010. She has directed the PhD programmes in Art History and in Art and Humanities at the ULL, where she has also been academic director of the Master’s Degree in Theory and History of Art and Cultural Management.
Her enormous production and contribution as a researcher in the field of Art History is reflected in 15 books, 177 articles, 6 technical dossiers, 10 exhibition curatorships, 55 reports for ICOMOS on World Heritage Sites and 8 inventories of art collections.
Navarro’s professional career has been recognised with various awards, mentions or distinctions, including the 1997 Elías Serra Ràfols Historical Research Prize for his work “La Laguna 1500: la ciudad – república”, or the Accésit Group 1 Award to Entities or Collectives for planning and research work, of the National Urban Planning Awards, for her collaboration in the Special Plan for the Interior Reform of the Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1981).
Her extensive curriculum vitae also reflects her notable participation in various scientific, technical and advisory committees. Among them, she is currently a member of the Spanish National Committee of ICOMOS, as well as of the International Scientific Committees on Cultural Routes, Historic Cities and 20th Century Heritage of this Unesco advisory body.
She has also directed and participated in international congresses, being the author of invited papers and co-ordinator of their organisation, as well as being responsible for the organisation of several international conference cycles. She has considerable experience in R+D+i management and curatorial and curatorial work.