It is 20 years since San Cristóbal de La Laguna was declared a World Heritage city, a recognition by UNESCO that placed the old Aguere at the same level of heritage excellence as ancient cities like Salamanca or Santiago de Compostela.
In December 1999 we learned to look at La Laguna with different eyes. The declaration was the culmination of a long and arduous process in which all social agents were involved. A collective success that culminated the aspirations of all citizens and filled us with shared pride. Since then, the inhabitants of La Laguna have demonstrated their status as belonging to a Heritage City, unique in the Archipelago.
But if complicated was the road to obtaining this world title, difficult has also been the path taken during these two decades, in which La Laguna has met the requirements of a recognition, which is both a prize and the assumption of commitment. Our great challenge is to continue advancing in the defense of our heritage and urban wealth and combine it with the development, growth and aspirations of a city in constant evolution and fully established in the twenty-first century.