The old neighborhood of La Puntilla constitutes the primitive area, or let's say the oldest in Arrecife. It was formed by the streets parallel or transverse to the bank of the Charco de San Ginés and Calle Real, which run from the bridges of the Islote del Francés to where Jacinto Borges Street begins (a martyr of the Civil War who was born in Arrecife in 1917 and died on the front, in Lérida, on January 11, 1939, while helping a wounded comrade), which was originally called the Charcos road. Later, from 1935 it was named Guerra del Río Street (a republican born in Las Palmas in 1884 and died in exile in 1955). Let's say that in this article we will analyze the streets of that humble area of Arrecife that began to grow driven by the dazzling trade of barilla, by the end of the 19th century. This from the perspective of the streets that still exist, because I have heard that humble people, especially fishing families, lived in the La Destila area.
As a generic description of what the streets of this old and not so noble area of Arrecife were like, and are, we already wrote, some time ago, resorting to J. M. Clar Fernández, in his book "Arrecife capital de Lanzarote", that a traveler, on his visit to the Island, described the Port of Arrecife in 1849 saying that "its most notable streets are: the main one (current León y Castillo),...; Nueva Street (current Fajardo Street)...; and Marina Street, quite long, which ends to the west in the fish market,.... The other streets are tortuous and narrow, and lack symmetry, a defect caused by the first settlers of the town, who, without thinking about the importance it might one day have, built their houses and warehouses next to the paths marked by the camels when they came from the interior to the pier. There are two squares, the Church square, located to the east of the town, quite well squared, although small, and the Constitution square, which forms a trapezoid, and looks more like a wide street than a square."
Going through, in its small history and circumstances, each of those streets, always based on the documentation provided in the book Arrecife. History of its streets, starting with Charco San Ginés, is La Puntilla Street, which has had that name since at least 1965. A name that, as we already said, was formerly given to that neighborhood of fishermen's houses existing in the bay of Arrecife. Followed, parallel to the previous one, transverse to Avenida La Marina, where it is called Vargas Street, is the Pasaje del Fotógrafo Gabriel Fernández, which has been called that since March 30, 1990 (Gabriel Fernández was born in Arrecife in 1929 and died in Puerto Rico in 1985. A very prominent photographer from Lanzarote who portrayed the society of the time, numerous corners of the Island, thanks to which today we preserve the memory of a part of Arrecife and Lanzarote that we could not otherwise)
In the area behind the Church, towards the Charco, behind the Hacienda and Courts building, is Brasil Street, in which it seems that inhabitants only appear in the municipal register since 1960, because, as I was told, before that entire area was vacant lots. San Juan Street is behind the Church of San Ginés, since at least 1945, but it was previously called Calle del Cura. From the confluence between Brasil and San Juan streets, Liebre Street is born, to end at the corner of the current Town Hall, the other corner is occupied by the current municipal fish market. There are no inhabitants on it until 1960, as it is a street with sides and no facades, at least until that date.
We already commented in the previous article about Academia Street, the street on the side towards the sea of the Church, since at least 1920. Before it was called Salazones Street, until 1920, because there was a dried fish industry there. In 1931 it reached León y Castillo, that is, passing through Plaza de Las Palmas, the current Inspector Luis Martín Street also bore the name (Spanish narrator born in Morocco. Clandestine activist of the PSOE. Dies in Vitoria in 1964). Then it has been remembered occupying only the side of the Church today. It owes its name to the existence in it of an academy for primary, secondary, administration and accounting education. The other side of the Church, the west, is Otilia Díaz Street, since 1950 (woman born in Tenerife in 1881 who died in Arrecife in 1970. She was awarded the Cross of Beneficence for her outstanding work among the poor in Arrecife. Mother of the very remembered Guillermo Topham Díaz). First it was called San Juan Street (only the section on the side of the Church, that is, from the current San Juan Street to Plaza de Las Palmas) and from 1930 it was called Rosario Street. The current Otilia Díaz Street reaches León y Castillo Street.
A small street that leads to the Charco is Guatifay Street, which was previously called San Pedro Street, from Manuel Miranda Street (parish priest of San Ginés from 1974 to 1905, in times of great hardship in the City, due to the crisis of the barilla trade, so this priest was characterized by the abundant works of charity he carried out among the humble and most helpless inhabitants of the port of Arrecife), which was previously called Salazón Street (because there was a salting factory there. Later the La Marina School was there) since 1902 and then Callejón del Mar. It has had that name since 1913, which begins at the other corner, the south, of the current Town Hall, and up to San Marcial Street, passing through the facade of the Church of San Ginés, or Plaza de Las Palmas, which apparently was previously called Plaza de San Ginés but since 1901 the City Council awarded it the new name in homage to the collaboration provided by the city of Las Palmas in the bad times of drought in Lanzarote. Having lost the name of San Ginés for the church square of the patron saint, the street that takes us from the square to San Marcial Street is called San Ginés Street. According to the book that documents us, since before 1890 it was called La Recova Street. Logical since, after passing the facade of the church, it led to La Revoca, now under reconstruction.
San Marcial Street, which has had that name since 1931, in honor of the patron saint of the Island, is a small alley that leads from the bank of the Charco to Aquilino Fernández Street, called Calle del Cura until 1945. This street, parallel to Calle Real and the bank of the Charco, is named after one of the most illustrious mayors of Arrecife who was born in Arrecife in 1878 and died in 1934 in a traffic accident, the second fatal one to occur in Lanzarote. His mayorship extended between 1920 and 1922. He carried out the mayorship with so much love for our City, his, that he even pledged properties to guarantee operations for the City Council's infrastructure. He was also a provincial deputy on several occasions and vice president of the Commonwealth of Island Councils, standing out as a Republican politician. In his capacity as justice of the peace, he celebrated the first divorce that occurred in Arrecife. He also fought to avoid the division of the Canary Islands into two provinces. When reading what Alejandro González wrote about this character in our small history in his book Arrecife. History of its streets, it awakens nostalgia in me, so much so that I want to reproduce everything he writes about him. Well, the book goes on to say that in the time of Aquilino Fernández the salt mines of La Vega were made and that he also contributed very decisively to the extension of the sanitation of the City and under his mandate Calle Real was paved. On the other hand, in his activity as an entrepreneur he founded the first electric light bakery in Arrecife. During the Civil War, a Falangist brigadier beats his brother Manuel to death in the Gando concentration camp, as a consequence of Aquilino's political affiliation.
From Aquilino Fernández Street, General Goded Street (a soldier in Franco's ranks who takes command of the troops in Barcelona and after failing was taken prisoner and shot by the troops of the Popular Front), which previously, until 1930, was called Martínez Anido Street (undersecretary of the interior during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera) and until 1935 Fermín Galán Street (soldier who proclaimed the republic of Jaca), takes us to the beginning of José Antonio and Fajardo streets, kilometer zero of all the roads of Lanzarote, after crossing Calle Real.
Between León y Castillo and Aquilino Fernández streets runs García de Hita Street (Spanish nobleman of the Middle Ages) which until 1916 was known as Calle del Disimulo because it was the road through which the Church of San Ginés was accessed, hiding from the very busy Calle Real.
At the end of this area, on the side of the Atlántida shopping center building, we have Emilio Ley Street (born in Arrecife in 1868 who emigrated as a young man to Gran Canaria to work in the port environment. There he was consul of Sweden and Finland in the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as he had commercial and friendly ties with these Nordic countries. He was a great promoter and defender of the development of the Port of Light and Las Palmas. He also stood out for his support for tourism development, especially Nordic tourism. He died in Gran Canaria in 1950). This street does not appear in the municipal register with inhabitants until at least 1975. Probably because it would not have facades of houses and therefore inhabitants.
P.D.: A reader, very interested in this series of articles, told me the other day, in the bar la Ribera, in the Charco, that we had made some mistakes in the article about the salt mines. Well, we are sorry, we thank you for your contribution and we would be pleased if you would send us, through the website of this medium www.lavozdelanzarote.com, your corrections that we will gladly comment on and answer. This will contribute to all of us knowing better this Arrecife that we love so much and that we long for it to soon shine like a precious swan, where the majos themselves settled, in the hamlet of Elguinaguaria, when they came to this beautiful bay to fish. That is said.
Lorenzo Lemaur Santana
(Documentalist: Cristina Marrero Morín, Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Philology)