He June 15, 1973 the first and only artificial beach in Santa Cruz was opened to the public. was born the Las Teresitas beachafter 20 years of preparing a project that today, 50 years later, is still awaiting some improvements that will make it one of the best on the Island.
Next Thursday, Theresitas celebrates its 50th anniversary with significant changes since 1973, when the original black sand beach became one of golden sand, brought from the Sahara for some 50 million pesetas, according to publications of the time, such as that of the NOTICE DIARY from 1972.
It was in the 50’s when the Santa Cruz City Hall began to consider the idea of transforming the beach that is now known as Las Teresitas, but which was initially divided into three parts that its neighbors identified with different names. The closest to the town of San Andrés, Tras la arena, where today the old cemetery of San Andrés still stands. That part of the beach was a small area of black sand, which today, if you visit the cemetery, you can even glimpse.
The second part, the one in the middle, was known as Los Moros. In this area, there was a palace that belonged to Princess Diana of Orleans, daughter of the Counts of Paris, and Duke Karl of Württemberg, son of Felipe Alberto, Duke of Württemberg. And finally, the area located in the Barranco de Las Teresas, part that originated its name after the remodeling.
He says that it was a dangerous beach, where the water hit the stones hard. Neighbors in the area remember that several people even died. Due to its orientation, the force of the water and the wind have always characterized this beach.
After the scarce sand of volcanic origin had worn away, due to the fact that the city’s construction companies supplied it with it, the capital city council considered in 1953 the construction of an artificial beach.
Finally, in 1961, the Ministry of Housing approved the Planning Plan for the neighborhood and coast of San Andrés. Three years later, the Compensation Board for the owners of the land that would be affected by the construction of the beach and its accesses was established. The engineers Popeyo Alonso and Miguel Pintor were the ones who designed the new beach, and given the evidence of its high cost, they devised to urbanize its surroundings in order to obtain financing and create a tourist center of great importance. In 1965 it was the public exhibition of the Partial Plan.
Las Teresitas beach and a loan of 50 million to buy sand
About 1967 a Ministerial Order authorized the works for its transformation, and that same year, the City Council and the Compensation Board signed a first agreement.
Regenerating the new beach and covering almost a kilometer and a half in length with volcanic sand was too expensive due to its scarcity. This is why the City Council requested a credit of 50 million pesetas (more than 300,000 euros) for the purchase of the sand that would cover the original ground.
The first works on Las Teresitas beach that were carried out began in 1968 and consisted of the construction of two lateral breakwaters, a breakwater and a step cut into the sea that would help preserve the conservation of the new white sand, and which is between 22 meters (at low tide) and 60 (at high tide). Normally, and at low tide, it is a meter and a half from the surface and drops to four meters. From here, slowly descend until you reach the start of the breakwater.
During the first six months of 1973, the stones on the beach were replaced by five million bags of blonde sand (270,000 tons) imported directly from the Sahara desert aboard the Gopegui ship. On June 15 of the same year, the beach was opened to the public.
The neighbors say that, initially, people were afraid to step on the sand, since they said that, coming from the Sahara, scorpions, scorpions, grasshoppers and red ants came, mixed with the sand. In 1998, 25 years after its inauguration, 2,800 tons of sand were imported again from the Sahara to replace the loss up to then.
The development of Las Teresitas beach has been slowed down over time by countless judicial and administrative fronts. The one known as Caso Teresitas stopped the development plans of the beach front. At the moment, Gestur is already working on the modification of the PGO in force, from 2005, to execute the Special Plan for the beach.
