The burned replica of the caravel La Niña, which had come to symbolize urban abandonment and has unleashed an image crisis for the residents of the capital of Gran Canaria, now has a solution: it will be repaired by the Elder Museum of Science and Technology. The replica, built in Galicia in 1992 to commemorate the role of the Spanish Navy in the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery, burned down in May 2023. The cause of the fire, according to police sources, was attributed to the actions of homeless people who were spending the night in the area, just a few meters from the Local Police station.
The vessel, which once mimicked Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World, has remained since the fire, a source of unhealthiness and neglect in the central Santa Catalina Park, right next to the Elder Museum of Science and Technology, a popular area for cruise passengers. The situation reached the point of official derision last September 2024, when King Felipe VI and Italian President Sergio Mattarella made an official visit to the Elder Museum and saw the monstrosity. It is unknown whether the leaders addressed the debate about Columbus's possible Italian identity in view of the vandalized ship.
Neighborhood associations in Las Palmas, most of whom have investments in long-stay apartments in Playa del Inglés (southern Gran Canaria), filed a formal complaint with the tourism company TUI, requesting its mediation before the city council. The letter reflected deep frustration and a perceived disconnect between municipal management and the real tourism impact: "Here, they govern for you. They don't say that the destination must be cohesive with the operators. It's up to you to act because this will be ungovernable as of May 2023."
