Intresting History Offerings at Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is the Tenerife Islands’ largest shipping port for containers as well as for several oil refineries. It may not be aesthetic to many seeking natural beauty and wonders, but it has an urban vibrancy that is typical of the Canary Islands.

Santa Cruz has been a port since its first conquerors with Tenerife being the regular stopover for replenishing supplies before continuing the last leg to the final destination of the New World.

Spanish galleons stopped regularly at this town which offered protection due to its fortified port. Even today, Santa Cruz still functions as a popular port of convenience to the world’s tankers, Atlantic trawlers and navies. It is quite busy not only as the capital of the island but also as the Canary Islands’ financial and administrative center.

It is now a bustling Spanish town that is modern, with many narrow streets, plazas, and parks intersecting some wide avenues which are just as bustling with activity, both commercial and shopping.

Town Attractions

The town center can be explored easily on foot where one can enjoy the splendid ancient churches and museums, but the better sights here are the plazas and parks which are pretty and pleasant for a relaxing stroll as these places are usually void of large tourist volumes.

Town History

The major history piece of Santa Cruz has to be Admiral Nelson who lost his own right arm when he bungled an unsuccessful attack on this town in 1797, causing many of his men to be killed.

Admiral Nelson acted arrogantly in wanting to capture Santa Cruz for the gold that was in the Spanish galleon, but bad weather fouled his attack, causing his defeat. The strong winds caused the town inhabitants to move out to La Laguna while Admiral Nelson continued with his intention of conquest. In the bad weather, his men mistook the town’s position and fired aimlessly from the loose and rocky Jurada slopes instead of the town proper.

The heavy firing from the shore’s cannons separated the British army coming on and this was where Nelson’s right arm was hit by grapeshot, wounding it severely. Although he had it amputated to save his own life, he still wanted to force the town to surrender; but it was his holed up soldiers, numbering 700, that wanted to surrender with full military honors which the town governor consented on compassionate grounds.

Nelson reacted to this remarkable and honorable conduct with gifts of cheese and beer in which a barrel of wine was returned as a token of ceasefire and friendship. There were 150 British soldiers killed, while only 12 Spanish soldiers died.

Hence, Santa Cruz continued to prosper.