Santa Cruz "la nuit"

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Literature · Subcategory: Literary fragments · Year: 1958 · Authors: Francisco Pimentel

Francisco Pimentel (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1925-La Orotava, Tenerife, 2002) was a writer who was part of the literary group Fetasa. Over a little more than a year, between 1957 and 1958, he wrote, under the title Santa Cruz "la nuit" , more than a hundred articles in the newspaper El Día. In them, the author shows the nocturnal Santa Cruz with diverse themes: memories of experiences, situations, customs and habits that reveal a great nostalgia for past times. This collection of articles was published by the Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz City Council) in 1985, under the same name of the series Santa Cruz "la nuit" . From this publication, we select an article dated 30 April 1958 that refers to the area of Cruz del Señor with these words:

«That was Cruz del Señor, and everyone crossed themselves when passing by, laypeople and religious, clerical and atheists. Today, somewhat like the Caracas of the capital with the squat palace of the Móvil Oil petrol station and its red advertising Pegasus. Avenida de Venezuela and, almost opposite, Pérez Armas, shady, dark and pretentious in urban planning, with the solid stone of the Prison and its plots for sale.

I am writing to you from Bar Julia, in an almost Americanised or inland island atmosphere, with its air of Pepsi-Cola and billiards [...]

[...] At Bar Julia, the Mecca of the neighbourhood, with my friend Morales as a tremendous disputatious local mayor. People still have a tender rural seriousness, despite the proximity of the cinemas. On the opposite side, the dark patch of palm groves and the shine of magnolias; soothing fresh air in a small Cuban atmosphere of a bohío.

Cruz del Señor in festivities, Cruz del Señor of yesterday, today, of the smile.»

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