He High Pass Castle He was a fundamental piece in the defense of Santa Cruz from the attack perpetrated by the English in 1797, led by Horatio Nelson. The English Squad dropped more than 41 bombs on the castle and only one of them fell in the kitchen, while another exploded inside the chapel, where there was a crucifix, without causing the slightest damage. It is from here that the story of the miraculous Christ that accompanies this military battery was forged, since the painting of the Christ of Paso Alto was exhibited in the chapel. But this castle was also used as a dungeon for the Tenerife pirate known as Cabeza de Perro, and also as a military prison in the Civil War to detain Republicans, including the last Republican mayor, José Carlos Schwartz.
These are some of the historical milestones around this military battery that will become a space dedicated to the Deed of July 25, along with there will also be space for Historical Memory, all after the State has accepted the request of the City Council of Santa Cruz to give you the property. This was confirmed to DIARIO DE AVISOS by the Councilor for Heritage, Juan José Martínez, who pointed out that they already have written confirmation of the assignment. “Our intention is to take it to the Governing Board this month in order to begin the necessary procedures to make this space useful. As it is a free transfer, it is not a complicated process to assume its management, ”says the mayor.
And it is that according to the letter sent by the General Directorate of State Heritage, responsible until now for the property, the transfer occurs free of charge so that the Castle of Paso Alto is used for the purposes expressed by the City Council in its request. Specifically, Santa Cruz requested the transfer “to help revitalize the area, within the framework of the Parque de la Gesta project, promoting the enhancement of the property from a historical, heritage and tourism promotion perspective.”
All the administrations involved have reported favorably on the assignment, on which the City Council must report every three years, providing documentation proving that the property is being used for its intended purposes.
It is also recalled that the property has the status of Asset of Cultural Interest. “Consequently, the assignee must observe the provisions derived from the special legislation that is applicable, and in particular, from Law 16/1985, of June 25, on Spanish Historical Heritage and its development regulations, respecting in at all times the cultural values of the property and implementing the conservation and custody measures established by law”.
Martínez clarifies that, although in the letter sent in April of last year, the plenary agreement by which there will be a space for Historical Memory was not yet included, “it is something small with which reference will be made to the unfortunate role that it played during the coup d’état, functioning as a prison, so it will be one more element in the recovery of the history of this emblematic property”.
The mayor of the Treasury also points out that the Historical-Cultural Association Gesta 25 de Julio de 1797 is the one that will occupy this space, “and it will do so with a very interesting project, which involves a part of documentation, another museum, and another for recreation, in which they want to recover some of the elements of the Castillo de Paso Alto, such as the cannons”. Martínez adds that “in the project they even include the recovery of ceremonies that would be carried out upon arrival, for example, of school ships, with salutes with cannons.” “They have -he continued- a series of very interesting ideas to enhance the castle, which will turn this space into one more element to energize Santa Cruz, in addition to turning it into another tourist attraction.”
For his part, the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, expressed his satisfaction at being able to incorporate the Paso Alto Castle into the plan that the city is carrying out to recover the historical heritage of the municipality, and in which more than 30 millions. “This is not an isolated action, we would like to contextualize it within the effort we make for the recovery of the historical heritage of Santa Cruz, and that goes from the Viera and Clavijo, passing through the Ireneo building, Palacio de Carta, or Masonic Temple . It is the greatest effort to recover historical heritage in the entire Canary Islands”.
