La Laguna today launched a new program of guided and dramatized tours through its historic center. This time, the program will introduce more than 570 secondary school students from across the municipality to the important events that took place in the town at the beginning of the 19th century. Entitled “La Gallera,” it offers a journey back to the beginnings of the island dispute and the conflicts that took place in the city at a particularly turbulent time. This initiative is part of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of La Laguna’s declaration as a World Heritage City and aims to bring local history and heritage closer to young people through an engaging and participatory cultural experience.

The routes, organized by the Department of Cultural Heritage and developed by the Burka Teatro company and historian Néstor Verona, focus on events that occurred between the late 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century, such as Horatio Nelson’s attack, the War of Independence, the Constitution of 1812, and the founding of the Diocese of Nivariense. Through theater, opera, and heritage interpretation, the impact of these events on local and island society is relived, in a context marked by the Enlightenment, popular beliefs, and the emergence of conflict between the two islands.

The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the Councilor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, today welcomed the 150 students who participated in the first of five theatrical performances planned for this initiative, which will end on October 30.

The mayor highlighted the symbolic and educational value of an initiative that “demonstrates that heritage can be a living tool to educate, inspire, and build citizenship. Having more than 500 young people walk our streets, guided by memory and heritage, is a way to sow the future through legacy.”

For his part, Adolfo Cordobés explained that this initiative is part of a broader strategy and includes actions specifically designed for different groups and age groups. “Knowledge is the best way to protect our cultural assets, and theater allows us to do so in a personal, creative, and emotional way. These routes are an example of how outreach can transform the relationship with heritage.”

Furthermore, the mayor emphasized that initiatives like this “allow us to fulfill an important objective: for young people to identify with these stories, to understand that their city has a fascinating past and that that past belongs to them; that heritage is not just stone, it is shared memory.”

Historian and popularizer Néstor Verona, a guide on the routes, explained the narrative approach of a proposal that “starts with two key events: Nelson’s attack and the War of Independence. But what we want to show is how these international conflicts had local consequences, generating tensions between the ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and giving rise to the island dispute. La Laguna, as the seat of the Royal Maritime and Land Consulate, was the scene of this dispute, and we tell it as if it were a cockfight, hence the title “La Gallera.”

Experiencing History Where It Happened

Nacho Almenar, director and co-founder of Burka Teatro, praised the project’s artistic and educational dimension and noted that “this proposal is unique because it combines theater, opera, and heritage interpretation. We don’t just tell history, we embody it. And we do this on the streets, in the real spaces where the events took place. It’s a way of returning history to the place where it was born and enabling young people to experience it with all their senses.”

The routes are aimed at students in the third and fourth years of secondary school and those enrolled in Curriculum Diversification Programs. They will take place between October 22 and 30, with the participation of 12 schools from different districts of the municipality and a total of 579 students. The Valle de Guerra, Antonio González, Padre Anchieta, Cabrera Pinto, Viera y Clavijo, Pérez Minik, María Cebrián, La Laboral, Geneto, Canarias, San Benito, and Professor Martín Miranda secondary schools will participate.

The schedule includes five dramatized tours over several days, with groups of between 150 and 80 students per session, who will tour the historic center accompanied by actors, actresses, guides, and teachers.

This activity is part of the commemorative program for the 25th anniversary of La Laguna’s declaration as a World Heritage City by UNESCO, an event that the City Council celebrates with a broad agenda of cultural, technical, educational, and participatory activities. The program has financial support from the Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation, and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, through a specific grant intended to finance the commemorative events and their dissemination.