The town square in the Orotava district of Los Pinos is named after Alejandro González Hernández, a local resident who was honoured with the support of family, neighbours, friends and the municipal Corporation led by Mayor, Francisco Linares. This followed a unanimous decision taken in December by the City Council, at the proposal of the Don Víctor Association, in recognition of his constant altruistic work and dedication to the neighbourhood.
Francisco Linares emphasized that “Alejandro is an exemplary neighbour, always doing good for others in all aspects. We are proud of all that he has done and will continue to do”. The Mayor mentioned that such acts “bring comfort, as the name of the square will remain forever, so that future generations do not forget who he was and what he did for the residents, the neighbourhood, and the municipality”.
Alejandro González Hernández was born in 1942 in La Perdoma. In his childhood and adolescence, he barely had time to attend school, but he made time to continue his education, even if it was during nighttime hours. At the age of 13, he became an orphan and, along with his siblings, took on domestic and farming duties, in addition to working for the Salesian community in the cafeteria, classrooms, and other areas of the San Isidro-Salesian school. Earlier, at the age of 9, he worked loading soil on the lands of the Salesians’ Patronage and at the Tapias Restaurant.
He ran a bar-café and used his car to transport the sick to the hospital, provided essential needs to many neighbours, and even extended credit worth thousands of pesetas in his business
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In 1960, at the age of 18, he married Milagros Pérez García, a union that resulted in eight children: María del Carmen, María Auxiliadora, Alejandro, Milagros, José Manuel, Candelario, Matilde, and Teresa. Today, he has 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Since his marriage, he moved to Camino Polo, where he made his home and ran a bar-café business and retail of groceries. Simultaneously, he worked as a caregiver in the neighbourhood.
Wherever he was needed, Alejandro was there. It is documented that he used his car to transport the sick to the hospital, assisted many neighbours with essential needs, and even extended credit worth thousands of pesetas in his business, which his customers always repaid promptly.
He was an advocate within the neighbourhood association, a co-founder of the Independent Orotava Group (AIO), and a member of its municipal candidacy in 1979. He performed all duties at the Los Pinos Sports Club and also served as a board member of UD Orotava during various periods. He continues to preside over a 30-year-old, federated domino club that proudly carries the name of the town across the Peninsula. In 2005, he was awarded the Human Values in Sport prize by the La Orotava Town Council.
