Considered the main street from the founding of the Villa de San Cristóbal to the present day, it was initially called the “street that goes to Santa María”, according to the Cabildo’s minutes of 1514, and since 1525 as Nuestra Señora Santa street. Maria de los Remedios. In the Tazmía of 1592 it appears as La Carrera street, in reference to the horse races that were held there, where the riders starting from the area of San Lázaro and San Benito competed to reach the finish line that was located in the square. down. Horse ribbon races were also held on this road, until it was paved. In 1913 the La Laguna City Council labeled her as Bishop Rey Redondo, in relation to Don Nicolás Rey y Redondo, V bishop of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (1894-1917).
The street goes up on the right until it meets Viana Street, where the Adelantado had his homes and today is the cloistered convent of Santa Catalina nuns, which was inaugurated on April 23, 1611, with four nuns transferred from Seville. .
On the left side is the Casa del Corregidor, built in the 16th century and completed in 1545. The most important thing about this building is its main door, made of red stone and in the Canarian plateresque style. This house is currently part of the municipal offices, and was for many years the seat of the mayor’s office.
The inclination of this section of La Carrera Street gave rise to a legend, which still remains in the memory of the Laguneros, which refers to the clandestine loves of the Adelantado’s youngest son, Don Fernando, who was killed for this reason. His father, Don Alonso, then ordered the construction of the projection of the wall so as not to see the place where his son was killed.
Some historians, such as María Rosa Alonso and Manuela Marrero, believe that history as a legend is valid, but the truth prevails and is much less romantic. The Adelantado did not live in the Villa de Arriba, nor was his son murdered for love. Don Fernando actually died in Barbary, much later, on one of the expeditions to the neighboring African coast. However, historian Rodríguez Moure somehow keeps the legend alive.
The aforementioned inclination, both of La Carrera street to the right and the parallel of San Agustín, to the left, is caused by the ravines that arose from the water runoff that came from the upper part of the then Villa.
The next construction of the Corregidor’s house, known as La Alhóndiga, was used as an old barn and over time “it only served as a dance hall for rats and a shelter for all mountebanks who visited the town.” (Rodriguez Moure). Years later and when Don Cirilo Olivera y Olivera occupied the mayor’s office, it was projected to adapt it so that the first barracks for the provincial guard could be installed. On December 5, 1898, these premises were occupied by the Civil Guard, with a lieutenant, a sergeant and eight guards stationed in the city.
The large patio of this building, currently occupied as a municipal and local police mobile park, was for a long time used as a basketball court.
The house on the corner of Viana Street is known as Casa Alvarado-Bracamonte, built by the captain general of the Island, Diego Alvarado-Bracamonte in the 16th century. This building is also known as the House of the Captains General. Its façade, main door and windows are bordered with padded pilasters. At the end of the 19th century it belonged to Don Antonio Leal Leal (father of Antonio Leal Martín, promoter of the Leal Theater) and was inhabited by the couple Juan de la Cruz and Lucía Martín. Renovated in the 80s, it is currently occupied by the mayor’s office, headquarters of the tourist office, the CICOP (International Center for Heritage Conservation) and an exhibition hall.
On the corner with Tabares de Cala, what is known as Casa Mesa was built by Don José Jacinto de Mesa y Castilla in 1765. At the beginning of the 20th century, and given the political, economic and social situation in the Canary Islands, the Nava family, owner of the house, decided to use it as the municipality’s educational center. Since the widowed marchioness, Mrs. Concepción Salazar y Chirino, had no children, she stated in her will that “after her death, schools were founded in La Laguna for the education of children of the working and proletarian class.” The house was completely renovated and adapted so that the Religious Order of the De La Salle Brothers could begin teaching classes in the city. The wish came true, and the De La Salle Brothers visited the center on August 11, 1916. They were greeted by the family’s executor, José Rodríguez Moure, and they inspected the house, finding it in good condition for the school.
While planning the opening of the center, it was agreed that only the first year would classes be free, to meet the founding objective. Thus, on October 29, 1916, from eight in the morning, the patio was full of parents and students. “At around eight-thirty, the paid ones were separated from the free ones, those who knew how to read a little from those who knew nothing.”
The Brothers of the Christian Schools, given their roots in the city of La Laguna, decided to expand the school offer, for which they sold the Heraclio Sánchez site (the Brothers’ soccer field), where they intended to build the new school. This site did not meet the conditions required for such a task and they sold it, acquiring another of considerable size in La Verdellada, where they built the current school in 1982.
In La Laguna, Brother Ramón is still remembered, who welcomed the children at the school door every morning with a smile.
At dawn on Good Friday, during the early morning procession of Cristo Lagunero, precisely at the height of where this school was located, the old music band “La Fe”, which was created as a result of the disputes in 1891 at the Casino ” El Porvenir”, played the chords of “Farewell to Life”, from the opera Tosca. Following this old tradition, the current music band, also called “La Fe”, continues to interpret this melody, followed by “Las malagueñas” by maestro Montesdeoca, who was the musical director of the Orfeón La Paz de La Laguna.
