The current layout of this street originates from the development of the Padre Anchieta industrial estate, which began in 1970, and the subsequent redirection of the Cha Marta ravine where it meets La Trinidad avenue, marking the starting point. This street intersects with Alfredo Torres Edwards streets, Luciano Ramos Díaz pedestrian street, San Juan and Ciprés. On the left side is Calle Morales (formerly María Morales), and a small alley named after the Lagunero goldsmith Ventura Alemán.
The San Juan neighbourhood was initially a hub for various industries, including old windmills, a brick factory, and the Vidriera de Canarias, which occupied a significant area between Morales Street and behind the cemetery, known as La Santa. The bottle and brick factory was a pioneering establishment in the Canary Islands, to the extent that specialists from Asturias were hired to initiate the innovative project. These experts in the art of “bottle blowing” also trained the mostly local neighbourhood residents who formed the workforce. By 1970, the industry had 117 employees and a production value of 23.3 million pesetas, but due to competition from mainland companies, it was forced to close down. Adjacent to the glass factory, the San Juan roof tile workshop was set up, producing Arab tiles, flower pots, water jugs, and other items. Alongside the workshop, a bicycle repair and rental shop was established, a popular activity in La Laguna during the 1950s and 1960s, managed by veteran Lagunero cyclist, Manuel Gil.
The significance of this street is connected to the construction of the originally named Hermitage of San Juan Bautista, which now functions as a parish from 1963, and to the first civil cemetery established in San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 1814.
After the Cha Marta ravine was canalized and urbanized, a wide street was built, starting from El Juego, with two lanes for two-way traffic, a landscaped median, and central public lighting. It was named after the Tenerife painter Alfredo De Torres Edwards. This new street in the heart of the city crosses with Baltasar Núñez, the street honouring photographer Zenón in La Laguna, Plaza de Secundino Delgado, Coslada, and ends at Pablo Iglesias.
The Former Hermitage, Now a Parish
The current church, resembling other lagoon hermitages such as San Benito or Nuestra Señora de Gracia, stands out for its ample space and the absence of demarcation between the presbytery and the area for worshippers. It was constructed in gratitude to Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint invoked during the plague epidemic that ravaged the city and its surroundings in 1582-1583. “Precisely in that year, in the midst of the epidemic, the Justice and Regiment went to the site of the deceased and marked the extension of the Hermitage that we see today on the area where their graves were located,” as stated by Rodríguez Moure.
Architecturally, the main façade’s portico, accessed via three volcanic stone steps, is the most notable feature of the building. Over the years, side entrances existed, although the portico served as the main entrance for centuries. In the recent renovation of 2020, conducted under parish priest Don Manuel Bethencourt Cabrera, a previously closed side door was opened to improve temple accessibility. Inside, the spaciousness, along with the coffered ceiling extending through the central nave, adorned with intricate woodwork, stands out. In 1963, a small chapel was annexed to the church to house the venerated image of Christ of the Falls, paraded during Holy Week by the brotherhood founded on September 27, 1955.
The sculpture of San Juan Bautista, the church’s patron saint, of Sevillian origin by an anonymous artist, is noteworthy for arriving in La Laguna even before the completion of the temple in 1583. This statue has one of the oldest active brotherhoods in La Laguna, established in 1767.
Of all the sculptures, two stand out for their artistic value: the Virgin of Fátima, crafted by the Portuguese sculptor José Ferreira Thedim, and San Plácido, a significant carving by Orotava sculptor and painter Fernando Estévez, commissioned by the chaplain of the hermitage at the time, Don Cándido Rodríguez Suarez (La Laguna 1775-1857).
Despite King Carlos III’s Royal Decree on April 3, 1787, mandating cemeteries to be located outside populated areas, in La Laguna, the tradition was to bury the deceased near churches or in their courtyards until finally on July 3, 1814. Following a decree by the Diocesan authorities and with the presence of clergy and the public, the first burial ground was blessed by Don José Acosta y Brito, Vicar and Ecclesiastical Judge of the City. The initial two burials in this lagoon cemetery were Juan Rodríguez Toste and Ignacio de Leal Borges on July 4, 1814.
