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Before
The city stands in a valley that was a place of pilgrimage before the conquest
The land belonged to the Menceyato de Anaga, one of nine aboriginal Guanche kingdoms on the island until its conquest by Castile. The valley of Aguere, especially its large lake, was a place of pilgrimage. The Battle of Aguere was fought in the city in 1494.
A model
Its street plan became the model for Spanish colonial cities in the Americas
The city was founded between 1496 and 1497 by Alonso Fernández de Lugo and became the capital of Tenerife, and later of all the Canary Islands. Its layout resembles that of many Spanish colonial cities in the Americas, because the urban plan of La Laguna was the model for them.
Capital moved
In 1723 the capital moved to Santa Cruz
The University of La Laguna was founded in 1701. A declining population and economy in the 18th century then led to the transfer of the capital to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1723.
Florence
La Laguna is called the Florence of the Canary Islands
The historic center was declared a World Heritage Site on 2 December 1999. Several streets of historical significance have been closed off to automobile traffic. La Laguna is often called the Florence of the Canary Islands because of its many churches and convents, its old town and its historic buildings.
1582
In 1582 a plague killed thousands in the city
In 1582 the city suffered an epidemic of plague that resulted in between 5,000 and 9,000 deaths.
Day 3, morning
Next is La Laguna Cathedral.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article San Cristóbal de La Laguna, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.