The results obtained during the first phase of the archaeological intervention in the property of the old jail of La Lagunalocated in the inner courtyard of the Casa del Corregidor, show the existence of a chamber in the basement of the building, which could be a dungeon or also a cistern, which has to be clarified in the next phases of the study.
The Councilor for Historical Heritage of the La Laguna City Council, Elvira Jorge; The professor of archeology Antonio Tejera, and the archaeologist responsible for the work, Sergio Pou, presented yesterday, at a press conference, the first conclusions of this intervention, which has had the financial support of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of Canary Islands.
The councilor stressed that “no previous government group” had dealt with this facility, which “until recently was used as an attic or warehouse”, for which she emphasized the “institutional mistreatment” it has received. In addition, he recalled that, from his area, work began in 2021, through an agreement with the Canary Islands Government, to recover an enclosure that “is surely the oldest prison building on the Island that is still standing, and one one of the oldest in La Laguna”.
For his part, Antonio Tejera, who made a preliminary report on the historical and architectural importance of the space, assessed that, despite the state of abandonment of the building, “it had many possibilities, because not only did that shape of a barrel vault remain, but also that still maintained the floor of chasnera slab”.
Meanwhile, Sergio Pou explained the work that was carried out in this first phase in the old prison, which probably dates from 1535 or 1536 and which functioned as a prison until the 1960s and 1970s, but from the 1980s ” a module was built inside that housed the old Town Hall switchboard” and was later used as an attic.
the start of work
The work began with the cleaning of the interior of the enclosure, the removal of false ceilings, walls and floors, leaving the original enclosure and discovering “prison graffiti” that was on the old walls. Likewise, it was confirmed that the barrel vault of the space was “in very good condition” and it was discovered that the original courtyard of the old prison should have been circular, but that over time it was surrounded by municipal offices.
Likewise, a photogrammetric study of the soil “indicated that it was slightly bulging in the center”, and a subsequent geophysical survey “would reveal a sign of what could be in the subsoil, among other things, to find out if there was a dungeon”. “After several readings, we came to the conclusion that there is a radical change of material from a depth of two meters. It could be water, air, or a different geological element. But the curious thing is that a vaulted shape appears to us in the transition between the area above and the area below, which can be a vault, a construction, the indicator of an underground chamber”, stated Sergio Pou.
The archaeologist added that “we can ensure that it is not a natural cave, but probably a chamber, but we want to be cautious, because there are cases in other parts of Tenerife where there may be a cistern underground”, so He advocated continuing with the studies “of this jewel that we have in the city”, to confirm the existence of the dungeon, to carry out a catalog of the graffiti and a study of historical memory, among others, in addition to opening up possibilities in the patrimonial, tourist level and educational.
Elvira Jorge expressed the will of the Consistory to continue working in this regard. Thus, she indicated that the agreement with the Government is still in force and that work will continue so that the facility can host guided tours, as well as that it is evaluating at a technical level and the procedures to continue with the investigations. “Of course we are interested in finding out what is under there,” she emphasized.
👉 The City Council recovers the history and secrets of the old city jail.
“It is the oldest prison complex on the island that is still standing, and one of the oldest buildings in #The lagoon”, points out Elvira Jorge, who advocates continuing the work. pic.twitter.com/W97V6hzP5e
– AyuntamientoLaLaguna (@aytolalaguna_es) February 8, 2023
