La Laguna
Overview
The town, La Laguna is situated in the north of Tenerife Island and is at a distance of 9 KM from the city Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its altitude above sea level is 546 M and its population is about 135,000. This historic lively university town was the first large settlement of Tenerife and was its capital for more than 200 years.
This town remains the religious, cultural and learning center of Tenerife in spite of the fact that it is no more the capital. The central part remains the example of Canarian architecture.The origin for the name of this town is its nearness to a former lagoon that became small due to logging in that place. In the year 1837, this lagoon got drained completely. Because of its high altitude location, this town is cool, cloudy and rainy.
The university at La Laguna is the oldest university in the Canary Islands.
History
In the year 1496, this city was founded in the area around the La Concepción church with the colony of soldiers as well as civilians. This was granted the title ‘city’ in the year 1510. In 1534, this was called San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Since this city had artistic and historical value, in 1999, it was called Humanity’s Patrimony.
Climate
The average temperatures in a year are as follows:
Maximum – 21 °C in the month of August-September
Minimum – 13 °C in January-February
1.The cathedral – was built as a hermitage in 1511 and underwent a number of modifications over a period of time. In 1818 it was converted as a Cathedral.
2.History Museum – contains archive documents of Tenerife that focus on the religious, civil and military history. This is housed in Casa Lercaro from 1593.
3.The Cosmos and Science Museum – contains hands on, interactive exhibits of Cosmos and Science. It also has a planetarium.
4.Anthropology Museum – has exhibits of food and culture related to Canary Islands.
5.Anaga Mountains – are walkers’ haven.
The historical monuments of interest are – temples of Cruz de Moure, las Mercedes, San Cristóbal of San Roque and San Juan Bautista, Montañés House, Cañizares Fountain, Casino, etc.
Cuisine
Some of the popular fish dishes are – grouper, abbots, sama, sardines, mackerel, etc. These dishes are served with tasty sauces such as moist red wrinkled potatoes or cilantro. Other items that are popular are – vegetables, goat cheese, escaldón gofio and meat items made from pork, goat, rabbit, etc.
Sports and Entertainment
Popular sports in this town are – surfing, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, athletics, Canarian wrestling, game stick, hauling livestock, etc.
Shopping
Tourists can purchase souvenirs made locally, perfumes, electronic items, wines, gastronomic products, etc.
Photo Credit: Pixabay