The urbanising and building boom experienced in Arucas in the second half of the 19th century and later was the result of the wealth obtained by the growth of cochineal. In 1868, during the September revolution, the St. Sebastian – St. Peter Chapel was destroyed, leaving a site where the Town Hall, the Market and the new civic square would later (between 1875 and 1882) be built. The last ten years of that century saw the realignment of Calle Real (High Street) (a project that coincided with Arucas being declared a city in 1894), replacing most of the smaller homes with larger mansions. The road continued in what is now Calle Francisco Gourié, in the only known urban project of the 19th century. The large attractive buildings now to be seen along both streets were built in a short period of time, with the wealth obtained from sugar crane crops, an industry that lasted until 1910. This was when Arucas became practically as it is today, earning its classification as a Historic and Artistic Town Centre on December 10, 1976.