Boats, as it could not be otherwise, have a considerable presence in the names of the streets of Arrecife. Of the 600 streets in the City, 49 are named after a boat, which confirms for history the maritime tradition and origin of the City, although it may not do full justice to the merchant character first and fishing later that made Arrecife grow.
The classics La Niña, La Pinta and Santa María, which give name to streets in Titerroy, are logically not related to Arrecife. Nor are the military ships Crucero de Baleares and Crucero Canarias (both with streets in Altavista) and possibly El Fausto, which gives name to a street in Argana Baja, and which in the book of the Arrecife City Council, Arrecife. History of its streets, it is pointed out as probable that it was a ship from El Hierro that was lost on a trip to America, although Félix Hormiga does not rule out that it could be a local ship.
Cited those, which are not directly related to Arrecife or Lanzarote, five streets are named after ships dedicated to cabotage and, some more some less, to the mail that are El Rápido (pailabote owned by Antonio Armas) with street in Argana Baja, La Fermina (sloop owned by Fermina García) with street in Titerroy, El Bartolo (pailabote owned by David Martín Rosa, who was dedicated to supplying food and materials to the lighthouses for the lighthouse keepers) with street in his name in Titerroy, La Bella Lucía (paibalote owned by Rocar who made trips to America and then to tourist excursions between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Currently, after being acquired by Juan Francisco Rosa, it was completely restored and is currently in El Varadero, in Puerto Naos, pending some repairs) with street in Argana Baja and La Añaza (sloop whose official name was Santa Cruz de Tenerife, owned by Pablo García, son of Fermina García, which was lost in a storm inside the bay of Arrecife) with street in Valterra.
Then, another 38 streets are named after boats that were dedicated to fishing. Fourteen of them are in the Center of Arrecife, another eleven in Titerroy, including La Joaquina, and La Cristina that are mixed with Altavista. In the fishing district of Valterra six streets are named after boats that were dedicated to fishing, in La Vega we have another five and one in Altavista, El Clavel and another in El Cable, La Adelita.
The first street in Arrecife to be named after a boat, if Alejandro González's book does not deceive us, was, in the center of the City, Esperanza Street (pailabote dedicated to artisanal fishing that later, after being transformed to motor, was dedicated to the corvina, owned by Manuel Betancort). It has been called that since 1902, when Santiago Pineda Morales was Mayor. Later, since 1931, El Duende (boat dedicated to artisanal fishing) is the name of another street in the center. Then, being mayor of Arrecife don Ginés de la Hoz Gil 36, 20 streets acquire the name of boats from at least 1965 and another 16 from 1970. Later, being mayor Jaime Morales Texidor another 5 streets obtained names of boats, specifically La Añaza (Valterra), La Mercedes (Center and Valterra), La Candelaria (La Vega), La Andoriña (Valterra) and La Catalina (La Vega).
Followed, in the time of Antonio Cabrera Barrera as mayor, the names of the street El Naranjo in Titerroy, street La Bella Lucía in Altavista and street La Adelita in El Cable are agreed. Finally, under the mayoralty of José María Espino, they honor the maritime tradition of Arrecife, El Rápido and El Fausto in Argana Baja and El Clavel in Altavista.
Well, that, Arrecife was always from the sea, well, now less. As Fernando Gómez Aguilera said, it seems that we are afraid of the sea. We will have to solve that because we grew by the sea, by commerce first, salt and fishing later, today by tourism, so we cannot give up enjoying the sea, contemplating it, bathing in it, making sand castles on the beach of El Reducto or on the beach of El Castillo, sailing, whether in barquillos, chalanas or canoes, or in jolateros in El Charco, fishing,..., what memories!
Lorenzo Lemaur Santana
(Documentalist: Cristina Marrero Morín, Bachelor of Hispanic Philology)
