More of Las Palmas

Monday, I did a walking tour called The History of Las Palmas through Get Your Guide.  The tour had been recommended to me by friends and it did not disappoint.  Luis, the guide, was super - passionate about the islands history but not so serious that he didn't make it interesting.  

Like most other places, Las Palmas has a complicated history, particularly with its link to Spain’s history.  For example, there was a large influx of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition who converted to Catholicism and relocated to the island to avoid persecution.  Not all managed to escape that, however.  Christopher Columbus also spent time here repairing one of his boats, the Pinta, before he sailed in 1492.  It was also a stop on his subsequent voyages.  

We began in Plaza San Antonio Abad (apparently abad means abbot) and the tour was mainly in the neighbourhood called Vegueta.  The area around the square was formerly a little military camp founded in 1478 called Real de la Tres Palmas because of the palm trees.  We went into the chapel there (Ermita de San Antonio Abad).  It is a small church with a tiled roof with a gabled roof, and the most notable feature of its exterior is its ashlar doorway.  From there, we walked to another square with, not surprisingly, another church.  We didn’t go in but the doorway was impressive.  As I looked around, I noticed a lot of the buildings had wooden balconies jutting out of them.  They reminded me a lot of buildings I’d seen in Turkey in Safronbolu and Antalya.  We also checked out a small courtyard which was very pretty with lots of wood around it, again, reminiscent of ones I’d seen in Turkey.  There is definitely a Moorish influence here.

We continued on visiting another church (Patron saint Santa Rita) with a very impressive nave and then to a square where, apparently, 8 jews were burned alive during the Spanish Inquisition.  Pretty grim. 

From there, we walked to a very large square called Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana where the Catedral de Canarias is located.  This cathedral is Roman Catholic, like most of the churches; however, for one day, on the 28^th of June, 1599, there was a protestant service held in it.  That was because the Dutch army had taken control of the city during the 80 Years War which was also known as the War of Flandria. 

In front of the cathedral are "The Dogs of Santa Ana Square", iconic sculptures adorning the plaza.  Crafted from cast iron by the French sculptor Alfred Jacquemar in 1895, these sculptures have become enduring symbols of the city's cultural heritage. Jacquemar's initials, "AJ," can still be seen on the sculptures, adding to their historical significance.

The tour finished in another square with a pretty art nouveau building where there is also a hotel that Franco had stayed for one night during the Spanish civil war.  A lot of people ask to stay in Room # 3 for that reason although Luis thought it might also be because it is also the room where Brad Pitt stayed while he was in a film being made here.  Who knows!  I cannot even attempt to detail all the history we learned during the tour but suffice it to say it was very interesting and the city is not only beautiful but fascinating.  The one thing I do know is that I wish I had arranged to spend more time here before starting my cruise.