The San Andrés cemetery, commonly referred to as Traslarena, will recommence its final restoration efforts starting next year. The rehabilitation and recovery activities for this intriguing cemetery, situated alongside Las Teresitas beach in the capital, were halted due to alterations to the initial plan put forth by the General Directorate of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands in partnership with the Santa Cruz City Council.
Zaida González, the Councillor for Urban Planning, has assured DIARIO DE AVISOS that “the authorisation to resume works is currently being processed, and we expect to issue the relevant report shortly. While it won’t be immediate, given that there are numerous public administration projects awaiting completion, I can guarantee that it will be evaluated before the year’s end.”
Similarly, Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez highlighted that “restoring the San Andrés cemetery has been a historical aspiration of the local community, and thus the administrations have been committed to its preservation. In November 2023, a project will be presented aimed at restoring its uniqueness, which has been preserved over the decades thanks to efforts made to protect it from urban development.”
Despite the delays, the walls of the cemetery have been restored using stone instead of formwork. The next administrative procedure involves a geotechnical study of the cemetery, for which approval is pending. The planned intervention will address various components of the historic cemetery. In the chapel, constructed in 1930 and currently suffering from collapsed ceilings, the walls will undergo consolidation, a new roof will be installed, and the interior will be enhanced with a central niche and a mulberry wood shelf serving as an altarpiece.
The existing trees and shrubs, which were not part of the cemetery’s original design and are damaging the graves with their roots, will also be removed and replaced with cypress trees, which formerly lined the pebble path from the main entrance to the chapel. Furthermore, the cemetery will be equipped with traditional general lighting, alongside illuminated pathways to the chapel during the night.
Marcos Cova, a member of the El Pescador Association and a key advocate for the social movement against the neglect of Traslarena, remarked previously that the cemetery is in a state of considerable disrepair, despite the limited resources with which the residents have endeavoured to maintain it.
