A few years ago, I noted that the centenary date of the San Diego escapade, celebrated by the Cabrera Pinto Institute (Institute of the Canaries), was incorrect and that further investigation was necessary. This led to a call from the person presenting herself as the director of the centre, who, among other things, labelled me as uninformed. Well, let’s proceed to enlighten the informed.
The Origins of the San Diego Escapade
Many writers and researchers have traced the origins of the San Diego escapade to between 1919 and 1921. This information originated from the well-known historian Enrique Romeu Palazuelos, who referenced Diego Jiménez de Cisneros and Hervás. Following this lead, that time frame was established because the professor prohibited his students from attending, as was customary, the pilgrimage held every 13th of November to the hermitage of San Diego, located on the outskirts of the city, prompting them to escape.
However, we can document that Diego Jiménez de Cisneros and Hervás arrived in La Laguna in 1915. The official Gazette published on 7th March of that year his appointment “as Professor of Agriculture at the General and Technical Institute of the Canaries, in favour of Mr. Diego Jiménez Cisneros,” who was then serving in Baeza (Jaén). In June of that same year, he was part of the Science commission to examine in Las Palmas and Arucas.
“For the examinations of the Colleges incorporated into the General and Technical Institute, the following Commissions have been designated:
Las Palmas and Arucas: Mr. Adolfo Cabrera Pinto, Mr. Antonio Zerólo y Herrera, and Mr. Baltasar Champsaur y Sicilia for the Humanities section, and Mr. Quintín Benito y Benito, Mr. Diego Jiménez de Cisneros and Hervás, and Mr. Agustín Cabrera y Díaz for the Sciences.”
The Opinion, Wednesday, 2nd June 1915
The year 1919 is when he took up the chair of Chemistry, so by that year, he was certainly not a novice.
Revisiting the Tradition
Therefore, if we assume that Diego Jiménez de Cisneros and Hervás prohibited his students from participating in the pilgrimage to San Diego because he was new and unaware of the country’s traditions, we would need to set 1915 as a possible start year for the tradition of the escapade, which this year would celebrate its 105th anniversary.
Moreover, in 1919, the San Diego festivities were not celebrated in November, nor was there any celebration on San Diego’s Day in La Laguna. That year, they were held on 1st June, and notably, it was a Sunday, so there were no classes or exams. What was the reason for the June celebration? Let’s dig a little deeper…
Here are some excerpts from the press in May 1919 regarding the “Fiesta de San Diego”…
“We are pleased to report that the fiesta of San Diego will take place next Sunday, 1st June, in this city, as it could not be held on its customary date due to the flu [referring, my informed director, to the 1918 flu outbreak].”
“The stewards of the hermitage, driven by eager zeal, are making active arrangements to ensure that the fiesta is a grand affair. The religious services, commencing at ten in the morning, will be conducted by the devoted parish priest of La Concepción, Don Antonio Solís. In the afternoon, a music band will enliven the popular festivities as usual.”
Reflections and Conclusions
Furthermore, using the pseudonym K.Sildo, a former student of the Institute recalls…
“In San Diego del Monte, the charming Lagunero site, which served as a refuge for us during our days of escapade, we were there on Sunday, reminiscing about those delightful and joyful times…”
The problem or key to this nostalgia is that it is dated November 1913. Thus, the escape linked to San Diego is a few years prior to this date. This undermines the thesis of the novice professor and the centenary celebration last year. It also renders the publication “101 Years of Tradition: The San Diego Escape” by Patricia Guillama Rodríguez, which has been showcased on the Government of the Canaries’ website, rather lacking in rigor.
In short… “What nature does not grant, the university does not provide.”
