New Biographies by Carlos García Shed Light on Tenerife’s Cultural History
Researcher Carlos García has published two new biographies, supported by the La Laguna City Council, that preserve Tenerife’s cultural history by documenting the lives of artist Benjamín Sosa y Lugo and military officer Mariano Murga Villalonga.
Efforts to preserve local history have received a boost with the release of two new biographies by researcher Carlos García. Published by the Center for Popular Canarian Culture with support from the La Laguna City Council, these books highlight two figures who played vital roles in Tenerife’s cultural development. They also demonstrate how focusing on individual lives—or "microhistory"—is essential to understanding the identity of the Canary Islands today.
The first book, Benjamín Sosa y Lugo: A Look at the Life and Work of an Unknown Artist, explores the career of a versatile creator (1882–1960) whose influence is still visible in the island’s architecture and art. García began researching Sosa after documenting the 1920 restoration of the Christ of La Laguna temple. The book traces Sosa’s training under Manuel González Méndez and details his wide-ranging work, from decorating churches in La Orotava to his contributions to the Guimerá and Leal theaters, as well as his work as a restorer and carpet maker. The book will be presented this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Center for Popular Canarian Culture on Calle Daute, La Laguna.
The second work focuses on Mariano Murga Villalonga (1878–1920) and serves as a companion to last year’s Old Tenerife: The Mariano Murga Collection. While the first volume showcased Murga’s stereoscopic photographs of island life from 1913 to 1920, this new book provides a biography of the man himself. A military officer from Huesca who arrived in Tenerife in 1902, Murga led a remarkably varied life. Beyond his military service as an aide-de-camp, he was deeply involved in local society, participating in the Red Cross and the Real Club Tinerfeño, and even performing as an actor and ventriloquist.
Together, these books rescue important legacies from obscurity. By linking these personal stories to the broader social landscape, García offers a detailed look at how Tenerife evolved during the early 20th century, providing a clear and rigorous map of a period defined by constant change.