In the midst of a prolonged housing crisis, marked by the establishment of protected or social housing and rentals throughout the Canary Islands and Spain, it is reassuring to reflect on the past. Nearly three centuries ago, Tenerife was home to remarkable individuals whose stories would lend themselves well to films or series, embodying social awareness or simply demonstrating empathy, humanism, and goodwill. A notable figure is the renowned lagoon corsair Amaro Pargo, one of the most significant personalities in Spanish history during the 18th century, straddling the line between the Islands and the Caribbean. He served the first Bourbon monarch, Philip V, accumulated substantial wealth, and invested it in various properties in Tenerife. Yet, he also provided humble accommodations, such as haystacks or straw houses, to those in need at minimal cost, often receiving only a couple of chickens or ten reales each year—an insignificant sum in 1730.
Manuel De Paz, a professor of American History at the University of La Laguna (ULL), shared these insights for the first time at a conference held last Tuesday evening at the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in Aguere. De Paz stands as perhaps the foremost expert on Amaro Pargo, alongside historian and collaborator Daniel García Pulido. During the Tuesday event, he announced and elucidated various developments regarding this captivating character, who continues to unveil surprises and revelations. Notably, he disclosed the existence of a document from 1731, set to be included in an upcoming volume dedicated to Pargo, titled coastal path. The document references a tribute owed by Antonio Rodríguez Fiallo, comprising “two chickens that I am obliged to pay.” It describes a “neighbour of Tegueste by reason of a site and lot that, in it, I gave the said tribute of two chickens as stated in the deed granted on November 7, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-one,” as detailed verbatim in the documentation unveiled by De Paz.
As stated by the ULL professor, “the benevolence of figures such as our corsair manifests in nearly anecdotal matters, such as the straw houses that, through modest rents of ten reales annually or a few chickens, enabled the townspeople to live with a degree of dignity. Some of these houses, which once charmed tourists visiting the Canary Islands in the early 20th century — as he explained in his presentation — have endured and been utilised almost to this day. History, both great and humble, often dwells within the intricacies of everyday human existence. It becomes crucial, particularly from academic standpoints, to re-establish the narrative of Amaro Pargo and his familial lineage, freeing it from anecdotism, opportunism, and a lack of scholarly precision; ultimately, to restore it from the peripheries of history.”
In his recent conference, which drew a full house at La Económica, he highlighted a facet of Amaro’s character, showcasing his humanism and empathy towards the less fortunate, which likely stemmed from his modest beginnings in a rural family in La Laguna. His father was a tobacco trader who imported goods from America (the Caribbean), fostering a connection with the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and tying Amaro and his siblings to the sea from a young age. This connection culminated in Amaro defining himself in 1707 as a “captain of sea and war,” as De Paz points out.
Amaro Pargo (Amaro Rodríguez Felipe) was born in 1678 and passed away in 1747 (in both instances, in what is known as the City of the Adelantados). His life brims with historical intrigue and narrative potential (which explains the proliferation of myths that diligent researchers like De Paz and García Pulido strive to debunk). His significant role as an investor in land within Tenerife highlights his acquisitions in Tegueste, Valle de Guerra, and Tejina — municipalities in La Laguna — along with La Esperanza in the region of El Rosario. “Amaro invested a considerable amount of resources, facilitated land transformations, optimised the use of aquifer resources, and, undeniably, he amassed a noteworthy fortune in land, water, and agricultural assets that he bequeathed to his heirs, who benefited from them for generations,” De Paz remarked on Tuesday.
However, the researcher conveyed that García Pulido is undertaking an in-depth study.
Heritage Importance
What he possessed in the area where the so-called “Pirate House” is situated (in Machado, El Rosario, close to Candelaria: along the route to the basilica), whose cultural significance and the urgent requirement to prevent its evident deterioration, indeed, seems to be a project worthy of consideration. García Pulido has been examining this topic from a historical perspective, and I am confident it will yield significant findings soon, in addition to its heritage value, which we intend to reclaim with prudent judgement,” he declared.
Its Guanche Origins
De Paz shared another recent discovery of considerable significance towards the conclusion of his conference. While he did not elaborate extensively, he recalled that, in volume 18 of the series on Amaro, entitled Candelaria among Guanches, the latest publication, they explore “the assets and economic and spiritual interests that our central figure had concerning the historical site of the Patroness of the Canary Islands. We also reference the indigenous ancestry of several families in the area, alongside the agreements and privileges that the descendants of the Guanches possessed when carrying the litter of Our Lady of Candelaria and other pertinent matters. Currently, he highlighted, a genealogical and documentary study of the lineage of Amaro Rodríguez Felipe is underway, primarily conducted by Daniel García Pulido, which, at this stage, indicates indigenous heritage for Amaro Pargo, at least along two ancestral lines.”
The professor preferred not to elaborate further but mentioned that, “once we gather all the information, we will disclose it in a documented format, just as we have been doing for almost a decade.” However, this verification of Amaro Pargo’s indigenous heritage adds further intrigue to a figure who, as evidenced by this recent conference, continues to astonish with fresh insights, which will be detailed in volumes 19, 20, and 21 of the series, currently in production and titled: The Hope of Don Amaro, Coastal Path, and Turnaround.
An illustration of new findings is the previously unknown brother of Amaro and José Rodríguez Felipe, named Pedro, who appears in the will of their mother, Beatriz Tejera Machad. This document, dated 10 October 1719, includes this entry: “passed away without leaving children or legitimate heirs.” As De Paz elucidated on Tuesday, the father, Juan Rodríguez Felipe, “does not mention him in his individual will dated 28 June 1714, but in the joint will of both parents (drawn up just a month later), specifically on 24 July 1714, he is referenced in some detail among his numerous sons and daughters: “Pedro Rodriguez Phelipe, who passed away years ago.” According to their investigations, they have documented Pedro “at the beginning of the 18th century, closely collaborating with his brother Amaro in his maritime ventures, travelling to Havana and Campeche, and also covering, on behalf of their parents, the nun’s dowry for their sister Juana de San Vicente upon her entry into the convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in La Laguna.”
In his address, he also examined the capture of Amaro and his crew by an English flotilla near Cuba. According to records from the Caracas vicarage, among the privateer’s acquaintances and witnesses “was his fellow countryman Leandro de Mesa, who stated that they had journeyed to the Indies over ten years prior aboard the Amaro Pargo ship, which was affectionately referred to as The Sparrowhawk, that is, the vessel named Our Lady of Los Remedios, Santo Domingo and Santa Águeda, which was preparing to depart Tenerife in the summer of 1707 en route to Havana, in parallel with the Santa Rosa that was commanded by Julián Felipe and Francisco de Acuña. However, they did not reach their intended destination, as they were captured in the waters of Baracoa, close to Havana, by two British convoys originating from Jamaica.”
Further Contributions
Additionally, De Paz believes it is quite “unlikely that Amaro Pargo could have participated, despite some authors’ literary assertions, in the defence of Santa Cruz de Tenerife against Jennings’ attack in November 1706” while he was in Cuba. He delved into the figure of another prominent Canarian privateer (from Palma), Juan del Hoyo, “feared by the English and a close friend of Amaro”, along with the “material impossibility of José Rodríguez Felipe, Amaro Pargo’s full brother, having taken part in the attack on the Dutch ship in Caribbean waters in early 1722.”
Furthermore, he firmly believes that Amaro recruited individuals in Tenerife for his voyages to America, as long as he did not enlist sailors or soldiers “from the Navy stationed in the Indies, the fleet of New Spain, or its garrisons.” To support this, he cites the presence of three Tenerife residents who travelled with Amaro to America and who subsequently undertook privateering activities under the command of the Biscayan captain José de Orella.
