Modern Architecture around La Laguna
San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a gorgeous city for a lot of obvious reasons: for example, its convents, parks, museums, palaces and just the sheer weight of its history. But our appreciation for Tenerife’s original capital only deepened as we discovered its modern side. This has always been a city of students, and so the existence of progressive architecture is probably a given — but La Laguna doesn’t necessarily show off this side of itself. You’ll need to find these places yourself…
Faculty of Fine Arts
This kidney shaped concrete structure atop a hill drew our attention every time we drove past. We had no idea what it was, when we decided to visit, but the security guard kindly informed us that it was the university’s Faculty of Arts, while escorting us off the campus. We managed to snap a couple shots, though, and would have loved the opportunity to spend more time here.
Edificio “La Pirámide”
Just across the roundabout from the kidney, you’ll find a towering pyramid. Given its proximity to the Faculty of Arts, we assumed that this building must also belong to the city’s university … and we were right: it’s the Faculty of Sciences and Communication. Given our brusque removal from the other building, we guessed we probably wouldn’t be welcome here. Which is why we either respectfully didn’t enter, or made sure to be sneakier.
The Holy Redeemer Church
If you look from the one side, it’s an stylish crucifix etched in stone. But from the other side, it looks like a smiling, drunken face. One side represents the son of man who died horribly for our sins, with the sharp points of the crucifix serving to amplify the pain of his martyrdom. The other side is a silly goofball who just farted, and is still laughing about it. Both are equally worthy of worship, in our opinion.
This church is meant to resemble a geological formation, rising from the earth, and was supposedly finished in 2018 … although when we tried to visit in 2021, it was most definitely closed; and didn’t look like it had ever been open.
