For over four years, the Historical Heritage area of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife set up the commission for the assessment of Francoist remnants within the municipality, as mandated by the 2007 Law of Historical Memory of Spain. This legislation aims to acknowledge and uphold the rights of those who faced persecution or violence due to political, ideological, or religious beliefs during the Civil War and Dictatorship era.
The commission, tasked with scrutinising streets, squares, sculptures, and monuments that pay tribute to or reference the dictatorial regime, convened its inaugural meeting in 2016. Following several sessions, the commission has not reconvened for four years, impeding the planned actions necessary for compliance with the law.
The City Council of Santa Cruz explained that the Historical Memory Commission, an integral part of the Historical Heritage Commission, is awaiting the appointment of new members following a change in the legislative mandate. As per the regulations of the Municipal Council ratified in 2018, the Secretary of the Consistory is responsible for this update.
Formerly led by the Councilor for Culture, José Carlos Acha, the Historical Memory Commission included members such as the University of La Laguna professor, María Isabel Navarro, and the president of the Association of Historical Memory of Tenerife, Mercedes Pérez Schwartz. The commission aimed to compile a report with iconographic and audiovisual sources related to the dictatorship and repression depicted in street art and urban elements of the city.
Regarding the Francoist monuments and sculptures in Santa Cruz, only two have been addressed so far: the removal of the propeller of the Canarias military ship in 2022 and the bust of Cándido Luis García Sanjuán, both symbolic of the Franco dictatorship. The future of the Juan de Ávalos’s monument to Franco remains undecided following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court upholding its precautionary protection.
Efforts to redefine public symbols and monuments in Santa Cruz are underway in accordance with article 15 of the Historical Memory Law, which permits their removal unless protected for artistic, architectural, or religious reasons.
In early 2022, a catalog of Francoist vestiges in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was published, detailing 79 symbols that needed removal. However, this list was challenged by municipal legal services in 2023 as the Mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, believed it should encompass all municipalities, not just Santa Cruz.
