The Councilor for Tourism and Commerce of La Laguna, María José Roca, yesterday presented the details of the initiative ‘Amaro Snapper visit La Laguna’, and which includes two days of commercial, cultural and historical revitalization that will offer the privilege of seeing, almost three centuries later, the most famous corsair of the Islands walking the streets that he knew so well and that today are part of the the only World Heritage City in the Canary Islands, but also visiting shops to catch up on what the 21st century has to offer and attending the screening of the documentary Amaro Pargo, between legend and history in the old convent of Santo Domingo, erected next to the church where his coffin is located.
Roca was accompanied by the producer of this film, Rumén Justo Reyes, and the actor and writer Alfredo López Reyes, who will embody this important historical figure of the 17th and 18th centuries from La Laguna and who, for two Saturdays, on June 18 and July 2 and from 10:00 a.m., it will recreate passages from the corsair’s life through the streets of Obispo Rey Redondo (La Carrera), San Agustín, Herradores and Heraclio Sánchez, and the squares of La Concepción and Doctor Olivera, where It will also invite consumption in shops in the area.
On these two dates and in the afternoon, at 4:30 p.m., the documentary will be screened in the Sala de Cristal of the former convent of Santo Domingo, with free admission and which will include a subsequent talk-debate.
“At Turismo de La Laguna we believe that the figure of Amaro Pargo constitutes a unique attraction for our city”, highlighted the councilor, who pointed out that this new project reinforces “our promotional strategy during a period in which tourism usually decreases in Canary Islands, also taking advantage of the possibilities of our history as a factor of attraction for new profiles”.
Amaro Pargo stars in numerous novels, documentaries, essays, movies, songs, and is even present in the legendary video game saga Assassin’s Creed. In fact, his entrance to the virtual screen was through the front door, with the exhumation of his remains, DNA tests and the first virtual recreation of his face.
And what’s more, “it even has its own treasure hunt game, which we offer from Turismo de La Laguna, on the web Tesoropargo.aytolalaguna.esand that we invite you to search among the streets and main monuments of the city”, recalled Roca.
The game is designed for all audiences, it can be played by an unlimited number of people and with complete freedom of schedules, it does not carry advertising, it does not require any type of registration or quotas and it has an alternative for people with reduced mobility and audio to improve accessibility. Currently, it can be played in four languages and it is only necessary to use a smartphone with Internet connection, in which clues, videos, maps or audios are shown, among other resources, to discover the riddles in a face-to-face tour of the historical complex.
“Now we are going one step further and Amaro Pargo will return to our streets on June 18 and July 2, an opportunity to visit them in a different way and learn about our history, monuments and legends, all those singularities that make La Laguna unique and that we want them to be the starting point to discover, in addition, our commerce, gastronomy and culture”, highlighted María José Roca.
Rumén Justo Reyes explained the details of the documentary that will be screened both days and of an “innovative proposal, which will be an incentive to spend a different day with the family, strolling through La Laguna and learning, moreover, about such illustrious characters from the city as the It was the corsair Amaro Pargo, a figure that is not well known by the population, although many of us work so that the history and legends of this lagoon remain alive”. In addition, he valued this initiative as “a firm commitment to the culture and history of our Islands, which highlights the importance of our historical legacy.”
Alfredo López, who will play Amaro Pargo both on the street and in the documentary, explained some aspects of the life of a historical figure wrapped in a halo of romanticism, which has related him to piracy, hidden treasures and illicit romances. The actor and writer, who has delved into the history of the popular corsair, also pointed out how he prepares the character and what awaits the people who come to La Laguna these two days.
