La Orotava Hosts Tenth Annual Cervantine Conference Celebrating Literature and Science
The tenth annual Cervantine Conference in La Orotava is currently underway, offering a diverse program that blends Golden Age literature, science, and local cultural heritage through May 16.
The tenth annual Cervantine Conference in La Orotava is firmly establishing itself as a key cultural event in northern Tenerife, blending literary tradition with science and local identity. Organized by the Alisios Canarias-América Cultural Association, with support from the local council, Canaragua, and the Museum of Ibero-American Craftsmanship (MAIT), the event runs until May 16 with a diverse program.
Starting this Friday, the conference explores the connection between the Golden Age and the modern day. The opening event, La X en Décimas at the San Agustín House of Culture, features Alexis Díaz Pimienta, Ana Marys Gil Méndez, and Luz Mila Valerón Sánchez exploring poetic meter. Díaz Pimienta will also lead a workshop on the subject the following day.
The program goes beyond literature. On April 29, the municipal plenary hall will host a session on cosmology, connecting the Big Bang theory with the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics’ (IAC) "Quijote experiment," featuring presentations by Ángeles Pérez de Taoro and researcher José Alberto Rubiño. Other highlights include a May 8 study on the aboriginal origins of the Canary Islander, and the launch of the sixteenth edition of MAIT Nights on May 15, which will celebrate Dominican heritage.
The conference honors the works of Cervantes with several key events, including a public reading of Don Quixote on International Book Day (April 23) and the first Villa de La Orotava Literary Jousts on April 24, overseen by Elsa López, Juan Bosco, and José María Espinar. Espinar will also deliver a lecture on the origins of the Spanish language on May 15.
The event concludes on May 16 with a focus on the performing arts. The San Agustín House of Culture will host a performance of The Cave of Salamanca by the local group Somos Puro Teatro, directed by Judit Pereira and adapted by Manolo García. The day ends with a dramatized reading of Lope de Vega’s The Guanches of Tenerife and the Conquest of the Canary Islands, adapted by García. Additionally, a musical recital titled Between Cervantine Seas and Loves will take place on May 9, featuring soprano Isadora Delgado Alonzo, pianist Ruth Galván, and narrator Edwins Rodríguez.