GRAN CANARIA HISTORY

The Canary Islands rose from the sea around 35 million years ago. But when did humanity know about their existence? We'll never know, but at least we know a couple of facts:

- the first mention ever founded from the Canary Islands go back to the 8th century B.C. The greek poet Homer speaks in his texts about islands that would be the paradise on earth. This islands would be beyond the Hercules columns (Gibraltar Strait between Spain and Marocco). So at least by that time the Greeks knew the islands were here. 

- Man made materials from around 1.000 BC have been found on the island but no sign of a permanent settlement. Thus, it is believed that the islands were known by sailing empires such as the Fenicians and Greeks. But without permanent settlements. 

- It is around the 1st century BC where the Guanches settled for sure in the Canary Islands and started the part of Gran Canaria history we know more about. From this moment on there are plenty of discoveries that proof that the islands were populated at that time.

- Juba II, the king of Mauritania and part of the Roman Empire. sent an expedition a couple of decades after Christ's birth to the already populated Canary Islands. The report of his expedition is the oldest and one of the main written documents in Gran Canara history.

Thus, we know for sure that the islands were populated around the 1st century B.C. and that their existence was already known at least in the 8th century B.C. Anything prior to this, is blurry. But the biggest question is: whenever they arrived, how did the Guanches get here?

The Canary aborigins are known as the Guanches. Even if Guanches was the name of the aborigins from Tenerife, today this word is used to refer to the aborigins from all seven islands. It is believed that since Tenerife was the last island to be conquered, at some point in time the only non-Spaniard aborigins left were the Guanches, becoming this word the way to refer to all Canary aborigins. 

One fact about Gran Canaria history we know for sure: The Guanches came from Northern Africa. Their traditions, way of live and art point clearly to a similar origin than the Berber people living in this area of the neighbour continent. More recent genetic investigations clearly show the relation with Northern Africa. So there is no doubt, about where they came from. They didn't know how to sail. The didn't, for example, sail between islands. They were isolated from the ouside world the minute they got here. So, here we have the biggest question in Gran Canaria history: how did they get here? It is not clear for sure, but there is very good theory about it. However you should enjoy the mystery for a little bit longer. Even most of the Canary inhabitants don't know about this theory. So ask an official tour guide or at one of the many aborigin museums. 

Even though there is still a lot to be discovered about Gran Canaria history and the way of life of the Guanches we know a lot about it thanks to the Spanish conquest chronicles and recent discoveries or Canary archeologists. The Guanches are full of contrasts: they had a pretty basic life (living in caves and from farming and cattle breeding without great technological development) while having an advanced society model with monarchy, priests and even judges. They were also great astronomers, and as the discovery of the recently declared WORLD UNESCO HERITAGE cave of Risco Caído shows, great arquitects and mathematicians. They didn't have access to all the possibilities the continent offered (for example they didn't have metals to work with because of the volcanic origin of the islands), but they made the best out of it.

The aborigins from all islands had many similarities, although also some differences. The aborigins of Gran Canaria are considered to be the most advanced civilization due some proven facts of Gran Canaria history:

- they knew advanced mummification techniques, that are only present on this island.

- Gran Canaria and La Palma are the islands with the most sophisticated clay pottery. 

Other differences with other islands is for example the fact that the royal bloodline was transfered matriarchally: the next king would be the son of the actual king's sister. Discovering the world of the aborigins is one of the greatest thing in Gran Canaria history.

After being isolated from the rest of the world for more than 1.000 years, the first European expeditions started arriving in the islands on the 13th century. But it was Spain who was determined to conquer the islands in the 15th century. In 1402 the conquer of the islands started with the conquest of Lanzarote. Jean de Bethéncourt was a french sailor that started the conquest under the Spanish flag. He and his men quickly conquered Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These islands surrended peacefully although there were rebelions after the Spaniards didn't respect what they promised. After the conquest of these two islands the Spanirds continued sailing west. They failed at their first attempt to conquer the island of Canaria. It was at this moment when they started calling it GRAN Canaria (the GREAT Canaria). Before that all mentions of the island in Gran Canaria history just refer to it as Canaria. 

After their defeat in Gran Canaria they didn't even try to conquer Tenerife since it was a very impressive island. They managed to conquer the smaller islands of La Gomera and El Hierro although not without a fight. They failed again in the island of La Palma where the aborigins even had brave female soldiers. 4 out of 7 islands were conquered and considered to be "private property". The ownership of the islands changed several times since this "property" was sold and bought among wealthy Spaniards. But the Spanish chapter of Gran Canaria history had just started. 

It was almost more than 70 years later, in 1478 when the Catholic Kings who had already successfully leaded the Spanish Reconquista - that is expelling the Arabs that occuppied most of Spain for 800 years- decided to take a leading role in the conquest of the remaining islands. They started with Gran Canaria. 

On June 24th 1978 the priests and soldiers sent by the Catholic Kings arrived in what is today the city of Las Palmas. In the middle of a palm forest (Palma = old word for palm tree) they settled and started what would be an epic war, the first in Gran Canaria history. The population of the island of Las Palmas was clearly higher than in the smaller islands conquered so far. The Guanches didn't give up without a fight. Even though the Spaniard had weapons that were clearly more advanced than those of the aborigins, it wasn't an easy mission. The aborigins were clever and they knew their island perfectly. The knew where to hide and where and how to strike. During a 5 year period Spaniards and aborigins co-habitated in the island. Priests would try to convert the aborigins into Christianity and care that soldiers wouldn't use excessive force. During the war the king from Gran Canaria was captured and brought to Spain, to the presence of the Catholic Kings themselves. They taught him everything about Spain and what means to be Spanish. Afterwards he was brought back to Gran Canaria to finish the war. A key moment in Gran Canaria history.

The end of the conquest of the island would be characterized by some aborigins listening to their king and giving up peacefully and others fighting until the bitter end in the peaks of the island. Because of this the aborigin population wasn't entirely exterminated, although heavily decimated. Many aborigins survived and were aloud to stay in the island. Others were sold as slaves but they were given their freedom and right to return to the island. Recent investigation shows that around 50% of the genetic composition of the today's inhabitants of Gran Canaria is aborigin. The people from Gran Canaria today are thus a perfect mix of the aborigins and the Spaniards. A new society would start a new chapter in Gran Canaria history.

The Catholic Kings didn't just want a peace of land far away from Spain. They wanted to send a message to the world and Las Palmas should become a big Spanish city. Because of these intentions the city grew up quickly.  Las Palmas is considered to be the first colonial city ever founded in the Atlantic. The Cathedral of Santa Ana was built and the city started growing very fast while the islands of La Palma and Tenerife still remained under aborigin control. 

But there was something that defenitely pushed the development of the city into the first league of Spanish cities. It happened in 1492 and it has to do with some guy called Christopher Columbus, whose actions would also have an impact on Gran Canaria history.

In 1492 just 9 years after the island of Gran Canaria was conquered, Cristoph Columbus arrived in the city of Las Palmas. During his way from Spanish mainland his ships experienced serious damage. In Gran Canaria they were repaired. Water and food was also gathered and prepared for the biggest adventure in the history of humanity. In the Columbus museum you can see more about this topic in the house were Columbus stayed in the three times he was in Gran Canaria. From Gran Canaria he sailed to La Gomera and from there, directly to America. The Canary Islands were the last land to be seen before changing our world forever. 

Columbus knew the oceanic currents very good and he knew that from the islands the current just "pushes" you on your way to the Caribian sea and South America. The discovery of America suddenly transformed the islands into the gate to the new continent. Because of the oceanic currents, all ships travelling to discover the new continent, passed through the islands. From centurys of isolation to being in the middle of the new crossroad of the world. This drastically chaned our society, boosted our economic growth and changed Gran Canaria history.

The Guanches were already great farmers and knew very good how to haverst the volcanic land of the islands. The sugar can plantations which were introduced by the Spaniards soon boomed over the islands. The Canary Islands became the world sugar market leaders. This boosted our economy. The constant trade with America created a special link between the islands and the new world. 

The sugar market eventually collapsed and many Canary inhabitants found a new live by emigrating to America. They or their descendents eventually came back to the islands. This exchange happened over and over for many centuries in Gran Canaria history. That is why the way of life, the arquitechture, the gastronomy and traditions of the Canary Islands are a mix of Spain and America. 

For many centuries the life in Gran Canaria experienced no big change. It was at the end of the 18th century were some wealthy Canary families decided that it was time for the intelectual and cultural development of the Canary society. The first cultural institutions were founded: a museum, a theater, a modern school... All of this lead to the cultural development of the island resulting in great artists like the famous writer Benito Pérez Galdós (considered to be the 2nd most important Spanish writer after Cervantes), Néstor Martín Fernández de la Torre (a great painter) and many others. 

The harbour of the city played an important role in the economic development of the city during the 20th century where the city had almost only the neighbourhoods of Vegueta and Triana and kilometers of wild sand dunes. The city grew up to the big city it is today. The last chapter of Gran Canaria history is the entrance of the European Union, when the modernization of the city took place making Las Palmas to what it is today.