The magistrate and historical researcher, Nelson Díaz Frías, has unveiled a fresh publication on genealogy, focusing this time on marriages solemnised in the municipality of Arona between 1796 and 1930. The book will be introduced this Friday at 19:00 in the Chasna Hall, located in the cultural centre of Los Cristianos.
This venture marks the third in a series regarding marriages, with the first two focusing on those held at the San Sebastián parish in La Gomera and Adeje. The writer emphasises that it is a reference book for genealogists, historical researchers, or individuals from various places seeking to discover their roots in late 18th-century, 19th-century, and early 20th-century Arona.
The chosen period spans from the establishment of the parish of San Antonio Abad, after separating from Vilaflor. This study complements other works by Díaz Frías on Arona, such as those on wills or lineages.
The new publication features a prologue by Javier Sanchiz Ruiz, a doctor from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and will be presented by the Mayor of Arona, Fátima Lemes Reverón.
The book has been published by Le Canarien editorial and the Heritage Department of the Arona City Council.
According to Nelson Díaz Frías, the primary characteristic of marriages in the analysed period is the “great endogamy” among neighbours from the same municipality and, at most, from Vilaflor. In fact, some are relatives. This phenomenon can be attributed to the low population mobility in the southern area of Tenerife, an isolated territory.
Origins
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By the 19th century, the core population of Arona was already established, with families of Guanche origin, such as the Tacoronte or Delgado; natives of Gran Canaria, like the Sierra family, Italians, as in the case of the Reverón; from the Peninsula, like the Linares, or from Portugal, such as the Melo, among others, according to Díaz Frías.
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Dispensation
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An intriguing fact from the Parochial Archive of Arona is that a priest, Ángel Serra Cortina, in the early 19th century, compiled several family trees of Arona residents who were marrying as cousins in the parish records. This was because Church dispensation was required when the spouses were relatives.
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