Economic Society of Friends of the Country of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1837

The Economic Societies of Friends of the Country were created in the second half of the 18th century by enlightened governments, with the aim of promoting agriculture, livestock, industrial improvement, navigation, arts, crafts, etc. throughout Spain.

In Tenerife, the first society of this type was founded in 1777 in La Laguna. In 1837 the Society of Friends of the Country of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was established in Santa Cruz, setting up in the rooms of the former Franciscan convent, already disentailled at that time.

Initially it had 37 members, but its life in these early years was very irregular. The society revived with great vigour in 1864, with numerous and varied activities. At that time it had five sections: agriculture, commerce, industry, science and Fine Arts, and popular education. In 1881 it reached 370 members.

The entity formed an interesting library of nearly 3,000 volumes, which a few years later were merged with the bibliographic collections of the Gabinete Instructivo, together forming the city’s first public library.

The Santa Cruz Economic Society published a monthly magazine for six years and organised interesting exhibitions on current issues of the islands. Gradually its activity declined and by the second decade of the 20th century the society disappeared completely.

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