Guided Tour

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Literature · Subcategory: Literary fragments · Year: 2012 · Authors: Gregorio Duque

Gregorio Duque (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1960) in his 2012 book Pequeños homenajes gathers a series of stories characterised by situations, places, and above all, people who, in one way or another, had to fight for a conviction. 

In the story entitled "Guided Tour", the author ironically narrates a fictitious description of a very special tour guide who acts as cicerone for the English traveller W.R. Wilde upon his arrival in Santa Cruz in the first half of the 19th century. Wilde, a real character, wrote a story about his stay on the island. Gregorio Duque expresses the fictitious situation as follows:

«This being San Cristóbal castle. No, not Tiger cannon here. Tiger cannon in Paso Alto Castle. Here prisoners seventeen English Nelson. No, not General Gutiérrez. Diego Correa Corbalán, corporal. Seventeen ninety-seven being corporal. No, first soldier, above corporal yes? Now being quartermaster in the Philippines No interest? Well, then come up and see the pretty square. Here having the Plaza de la Pila, old Plaza del Castillo Grande, where soldiers used to be reviewed. And this is the Virgin of Candelaria. Carrara marble. Four Guanche kings. Each Guanche king femur bone in hand. Here saying that as commissioned to Italian and sent drawing, sculptor did not know how to distinguish the staff of command of mencey, king, Guanche and put femur bone.»

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