The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, representing the local council, and joined by several members of the municipal corporation, along with the city’s official chronicler, José Manuel Ledesma, members of Tertulia Amigos de Julio, various military and civil authorities, as well as representatives from different business, social, and cultural organisations, presided over the traditional floral tribute at the monument dedicated to José Murphy yesterday. This occasion marked the 203rd anniversary of January 27, 1822, when Santa Cruz de Tenerife was designated as the capital of the Canary Islands, remaining so for 105 years until the provinces were divided in 1927.
For the past 22 years, following the initiative of Tertulia Amigos de Julio and the agreement of the City Council’s Plenary Session, a homage has been paid every January 27 to José Murphy, at the Plaza de San Francisco, where his statue was erected. Murphy played a crucial role in securing capital status for Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1822.
José Manuel Bermúdez underscored the significance of Murphy, stating, “his resolve and profound affection for a city – his, ours – inspired him to strive tirelessly for the day, 203 years ago, when Santa Cruz became the very first capital of the Canary Islands.”
“It is only right that we pay tribute to his memory annually and keep it alive because, for us, José Murphy and Meade, son of Patricio and Juana, is, above all, one of the architects of the modern, open, and cosmopolitan Santa Cruz that we are familiar with today,” the local councillor added during yesterday’s ceremony.
Father of Santa Cruz
Revered as the “father of Santa Cruz de Tenerife,” even before the city was formally recognised, during a time when it was still classified as a villa, it was through the endeavours of deputy José Murphy and Meade (Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1774 – Mexico 1841) that the region achieved capital status. This continued until September 23, 1927, when the government under the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera and Orbaneja instituted the division of the archipelago into two provinces: Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas.
