Saint Brother Pedro de San José Bethencourt is the first saint from the Canary Islands and Guatemala to be recognised by the Catholic Church. Although he was born in Spain, specifically in Vilaflor de Chasna, his vocation of service to the dispossessed was centred in Guatemala, during the colonial period. The friar left a legacy of service and love for his fellow man that has been deeply rooted despite the passing of the years. And a symbolic piece of his legacy is the Esquisúchil tree, from which white and aromatic leaves sprout and which he promoted to be planted in the Ermita del Santo Calvario, in the Colonial City. In March 1657, on his 31st birthday, Brother Pedro was in the garden of the Ermita del Santo Calvario and planted a branch of this tree, but first he removed all the flowers and offered them to the image of the Virgen Dolorosa that is venerated in the same Ermita. This is the Esquisúchil tree, which for 363 years remained standing in the plaza of this temple in the south of the city of Antigua Guatemala. Such was its historical, religious and touristic value that it was named Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation, according to ministerial agreement 250-2004.
For years, Guatemalan botanists have been trying to reproduce it, albeit with great difficulty. A decade ago, some specimens were brought to Tenerife in order to create links between Guatemala and the Canary Islands, and to try to acclimatise them in the archipelago. There are currently specimens in Vilaflor de Chasna, Granadilla de Abona, La Orotava, Güímar, La Laguna (in the Bishopric), Arico, Puerto de la Cruz (Botanical Garden), El Sauzal, Santa Cruz and Adeje, among others.
