Galdosian route: 11. calle Mayor de Triana

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Routes · Subcategory: Galdosian route

Domingo J. Navarro described Triana as «a madhouse of daily screaming and foul-mouthed shouting by the drunks, nutters, made worse by the yobbo behaviour of homeless young lads, with the horrendous scene finished off by near naked men, throwing stones and bullying beggars, mad characters and drunks with their howling behaviour». However, by the beginning of the 20th century, Triana the main throroughfare of the city. 

Parallel to calle del Cano was the starting point for two of Galdós' most habitual walks: to the south, Triana stretched out along the Puente de Palo towards Vegueta and the Colegio de San Agustín. Galdós remembers how «the bridge makes me dizzy, as I go over it I feel like I am climbing aboard a wiggling set of chains...» (El Ómnibus 12.7.1862).

To the north, Calle Mayor was the popular passing point (the Marina was less recommendable) to get to San Telmo, his preferred childhood play area around the Triana neighbourhood.

Calle de Triana offers us a varied display of the architectural and commercial development in the city. On our way round we can see the pointed arches of the 16th century house (on the corner with Torres), on whose façade are a few verses by Tomás Morales reminding us of its splendid past; its varied modernist style; the remains of the intense commercial activity around the turn of the 20th century (the fronts of former warehouses and industrial plants, the clock, eagle, tram rails...) together with modern buildings like the "Dunas" and the headquarters of the Caja Insular de Ahorros bank. It was the the first pedestrian street in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in modern times.

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