The Plenary Hall of the Santa Cruz City Council was filled with solemnity yesterday to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the designation of the city as the capital of the Canary Islands. An act that counted on representation of all the groups that make up the Corporation, in addition to the former mayor Manuel Hermoso; the subdelegate of the Government, Javier Plata; the deputy of the Common, Rafael Yanes; the bishop of the Nivariense Diocese, Bernardo Álvarez, and a wide representation of the different military estates. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez, in his speech, addressed the past, present and future of a city, that of Santa Cruz, of which he said that, together with Tenerife, “it must regain the leadership it has always had”, and that its designation as capital of the Canary Islands in 1821 knew how to reflect.
With the act held yesterday, promoted and promoted by the Friends’ Gathering July 25, as recognized by the mayor himself, a series of scheduled activities began over the next few days.
The councilor in his speech wanted to highlight the figure of José Murphy, whom he pointed out as “the promoter of this declaration, which came to reinforce, two centuries ago, the preponderant role of our city in the history of the Canary Islands” and took the opportunity to remember one of the great chroniclers of the city, such as Luis Cola Benítez, who recalled that Santa Cruz was the seat of great institutions “such as the Court of the Indies, the residence of the Captains General, the Royal Court and the the Canary Islands Development Board, and it was also the only port authorized to trade with Las Indias ”.
“Santa Cruz, before 1821, was, therefore, the capital of the Canary Islands without being so officially, because its weight in the history of the Islands, from the very beginning of the conquest, was decisive. But not only did the city, as such, stand out in the historical evolution of the Archipelago. So did its men and women, who from the first moment strived to ensure that their residence housed those honors, distinctions and rights that would allow it a better development and do justice to its role in the history of the Archipelago after the conquest ” Bermúdez highlighted.
Regarding the character of the city in these years, the councilor meant “the sum of all those efforts has forged the character and idiosyncrasy of a town, of a city in which, beyond its surface or number of inhabitants, there is an underlying enormous vital force that feeds their day to day ”.
“Today, Santa Cruz looks to the past with pride, with responsibility for having supported a good part of the social, cultural and economic development of the Islands on its shoulders, but it also looks to the future with hope and courage. We can boast of a brilliant and glorious past, a look that has been the driving force to propel us forward. Also to overcome the difficulties that have arisen along the way, the last ones still very present, and face the future in the best conditions ”, he bet. “It is time to take a step forward, both Santa Cruz and Tenerife,” concluded Bermúdez.
