U2-Featured San Andrés Cemetery in Tenerife Seeks Restoration

The San Andrés cemetery, located next to Las Teresitas beach, is truly one of the most interesting spots in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

In 1814, King Charles IV ordered that new cemeteries be built in open areas. This was to stop the spread of diseases, which people then believed came from "miasmas" (bad air) from bodies buried in churches. Following this, the Santa Cruz City Council asked for permission to build a cemetery in San Andrés.

Construction began in 1828, behind the village church, on the site of what is now Manuel Cruz Martín square. Local legend says that the debris from this old cemetery was tossed over a nearby cliff at the edge of the village. This area became known as the "Charco de los Muertos" (Pool of the Dead), and today it's a beautiful garden filled with palm trees and jacarandas.

Decades later, in 1893, a severe outbreak of Asiatic cholera struck. The old cemetery couldn't hold the 40 people who died in San Andrés, so a new one had to be built. This new burial ground was placed in a secluded area, between San Roque mountain and Traslarena beach, close to the Las Huertas ravine.

The cholera arrived in Santa Cruz on September 29, carried by the Italian steamship Remo, which had sailed from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, on its way to Genoa, Italy. The ship was quarantined near the Lazaretto because it had a "dirty bill of health" (meaning there was disease on board). However, a failure to follow health rules allowed the epidemic to quickly spread through the coastal areas. Out of the municipality's 33,421 residents, 382 people died from the disease.

On January 11, 1894, the official newspaper declared the epidemic over. Bells rang, fireworks lit up the night sky, and the streets filled with music and flags as Santa Cruz celebrated. Yet, amidst the joy, a quiet procession of San Andrés residents walked across the city. They were fulfilling a promise made to the Christ of La Laguna, giving thanks for the end of the tragedy.

For its outstanding actions during the epidemic, the city was awarded the title of "Very Beneficent" and the First Class Cross of the Civil Order of Beneficence by the Council of Ministers.

Years later, in 1898, the steamship Flachat sank off Taganana. Out of 101 passengers and crew heading to Venezuela, 77 died. Because the San Rafael and San Roque cemeteries were full, some of the bodies were buried in San Andrés.

Throughout the 20th century, the cemetery saw several changes. In 1911, the outer wall was built. In 1930, a small autopsy room was added, which later became a chapel where the Mass of All Souls is held every November 2nd. This chapel is now in poor condition and needs to be restored.

Burials at the cemetery stopped in 1964, just before the artificial Las Teresitas beach was opened. The last person laid to rest there was Francisco Brito Fernández, known as Paco Machuco, on June 21st of that year. Since then, people from the village are buried at the Santa Lastenia cemetery.

On January 13, 1976, demolition of the cemetery began, along with plans to move the remains to a new burial site. This was done without asking the residents. The community quickly gathered, blocked the machinery, and managed to stop the work amid high tension.

Following this incident, the City Council suggested replacing the cemetery with a public square and a monument listing the names of the 102 people buried there. However, residents rejected this idea.

Today, the San Andrés cemetery, found at the entrance to Las Teresitas, remains a key landmark of the fishing village. It even gained international recognition by appearing on the cover of a U2 album.

The El Pescador Neighborhood Association is currently leading an effort to restore the cemetery. This includes repairing the walls and replacing the 68 grave crosses and the 24 crosses for children's burial niches.

Since the Las Teresitas Special Plan ensures the cemetery's preservation, improvements are needed to boost its security. These include a new access gate, a protective barrier on the outer wall, outdoor lighting, and grass planted between the graves. Also, because the cemetery is an architecturally protected site (environmental level one), there's a request to remove nearby billboards.