The Cabildo Allocates Over €400,000 for the Restoration of Juan Bethencourt Alfonso’s House

The project in San Miguel is part of the 2023-2027 Historic Heritage Programme

The Cabildo de Tenerife has invested over €400,000 towards the restoration of the home of historian Juan Bethencourt Alfonso, located in the municipality of San Miguel de Abona. As part of this funding, the local council commits to co-finance the works by contributing 10 per cent of the total budget, which is estimated at half a million euros.

Isabel de Esteban, the island director of Historic Heritage and Planning, explains that this initiative falls within the 2023-2027 Island Historic Heritage Programme. The aim is to restore the knowledge and enjoyment of heritage assets in the municipalities, making them appealing to both residents and visitors, integrating them into the tourist offer and generating employment. In this context, the rehabilitation project will also include the establishment of a museum dedicated to the distinguished historian.

The restoration of Juan Bethencourt Alfonso’s house forms part of the Cabildo’s broader plan to rehabilitate historic properties, including Casa Sixta in La Matanza de Acentejo, Casa Don Gerardo, and Casa Lola in the municipality of Guía de Isora.

Biographical Information

Juan Bethencourt Alfonso (San Miguel de Abona, 5 February 1847; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 29 August 1913) was a multifaceted intellectual. Throughout his career, he was a physician, historian, anthropologist, ethnographer, teacher, and journalist. His work was primarily characterised by his anthropological, ethnographical, and historical research, which produced numerous insights into the culture of the Guanches.