View source for Guanches

{{short description|Native inhabitants of the Canary Islands}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}{{Infobox ethnic group
|group      = Guanches
|image      = [[File:At Candelaria, Tenerife 2022 118.jpg|250px]]
|caption    = Statue of [[Tegueste (mencey)|Tegueste]] at [[Candelaria, Tenerife]]
|population = 
|region1    = {{Flagcountry|Canary Islands}}
|pop1       =
|langs      = [[Guanche language|Guanche]] (historically)
|religions  = [[Animism]] ([[Guanches#System of beliefs|Guanche mythology]])
|related    = [[Berbers]], [[Canary Islanders]]
}}

The '''Guanches''' were the [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] inhabitants of the [[Canary Islands]], located in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] some {{convert|100|km|-1}} to the west of modern [[Morocco]] and the [[North Africa]]n coast.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Guanches |volume=12 |pages=650–651}}</ref> The islanders spoke the [[Guanche language]], which is believed to have been related to the [[Berber languages]] of mainland North Africa; the language became extinct in the [[17th century]], several generations after the completion of the [[Conquest of the Canary Islands]] by the [[Catholic Monarchs of Spain]].

It is believed that the Guanches may have arrived at the archipelago some time in the [[1st millennium BC|first millennium BC]]. The Guanches were the only indigenous people known to have lived in the [[Macaronesia]]n archipelago region before the arrival of [[Europe]]ans. There is no accepted evidence that the other Macaronesian [[archipelagos]] (the [[Cape Verde]] Islands, [[Madeira]] and the [[Azores]]) were inhabited.

After the commencement of the [[Conquest of the Canary Islands|Spanish conquest of the Canaries]], starting in the early [[15th century]], many natives were outright killed by the Spanish or died of exposure to new pathogens during the social disruption.<ref name="Adhikari">{{cite journal |last1=Adhikari |first1=Mohamed |author-link=Mohamed Adhikari |date=7 September 2017 |title=Europe's First Settler Colonial Incursion into Africa: The Genocide of Aboriginal Canary Islanders |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17532523.2017.1336863?journalCode=rahr20 |journal=[[African Historical Review]] |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=1–26 |doi=10.1080/17532523.2017.1336863 |s2cid=165086773 |access-date=6 March 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Adhikari |first=Mohamed |author-link=Mohamed Adhikari |date=25 July 2022 |title=Destroying to Replace: Settler Genocides of Indigenous Peoples |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ht9dEAAAQBAJ |location=Indianapolis |publisher=[[Hackett Publishing Company]] |pages=1–32 |isbn=978-1-64792-054-8}}</ref><ref name=EB1911/> Eventually, any remaining survivors were assimilated into the new Spanish population and associated culture.<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=2728732 |pmid=19650893 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-181 |volume=9 |title=Demographic history of Canary Islands male gene-pool: replacement of native lineages by European |year=2009 |journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]] |page=181 |last1=Fregel |first1=R |last2=Gomes |first2=V |last3=Gusmão |first3=L |issue=1 |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free |bibcode=2009BMCEE...9..181F}}</ref> Elements of their original culture survive within [[Canary Islanders|Canarian customs]] and traditions, such as [[Silbo Gomero language|Silbo]] (the [[whistled language]] of [[La Gomera]] Island), as well as some lexicon of [[Canarian Spanish]]. Some scholars have classified the destruction of the Guanche people and culture as an example of colonial [[genocide]].<ref name="Adhikari"/>

In 2017, the first [[genome]]-wide data analysis of the ethnic Guanche confirmed a North African origin, genetically being most similar to ancient North African [[Berbers|Berber]] peoples of the mainland African deserts.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}}

== Etymology ==
The native term ''guanachinet'' literally translated means "person of [[Tenerife]]" (from ''Guan'' = person and ''Achinet'' = Tenerife).<ref name=EB1911/> It was modified, according to [[Juan Núñez de la Peña]], by the [[Crown of Castile|Castilian]]s into "Guanche".<ref>{{cite book |title=Conquista y antigüedades de las islas de la Gran Canaria y su descripción, con muchas advertencias de sus privilegios, conquistadores, pobladores y otras particularidades en la muy poderosa isla de Tenerife, dirigido a la milagrosa imagen de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria |trans-title=Conquest and antiquities of the islands of Gran Canaria and its description, with many warnings of its privileges, conquerors, settlers and other particularities in the very powerful island of Tenerife, addressed to the miraculous image of Our Lady of Candelaria |year=1676 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cKvrI2UF-LgC&q=%22n%C3%BA%C3%B1ez+de+la+pe%C3%B1a%22+%22guanchos%22&pg=PA167 |language=es}}</ref><!-- Although the variant "guanchos" appears to occur in older Spanish occasionally as well – compare https://www.museosdetenerife.org/assets/downloads/publication-bb67b9fd97.pdf –, close inspection reveals that Núñez de la Peña in his book always writes "Guanches", even at the sole spot where Google Book search claims it says "Guanchos", apparently due to an OCR error. EB1911 is evidently simply mistaken when attributing the variant "Guanchos" to him. --> 
Though etymologically an ancient, Tenerife-specific term, the word ''Guanche'' is now used mostly to refer to the pre-Hispanic Indigenous inhabitants of the entire archipelago.<ref name=RAE>{{cite web |url=http://www.rae.es/guanche |title=''Guanche'' meaning following the RAE Dictionary |language=es}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

== Historical background ==
[[File:La Palma-gravures.jpg|thumb|Guanche rock carvings in La Palma]]

=== Prehistory ===
{{See also|Canary Islands in pre-colonial times}}
[[File:Museodelanaturalezayelhombre02.jpg|250px|thumb|Guanche pottery exhibit ([[Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre]], [[Tenerife]]).]]
Genetic and linguistic evidence show that North African peoples made a significant contribution to the aboriginal population of the Canaries, notably, following [[desertification]] of the [[Sahara]] (post-[[6th millennium BC|6000 BC]]). There are ties between the Guanche language and the Berber languages of North Africa, particularly when comparing [[numeral system]]s.<ref name="Bynon J. 1970, pp 64–77"/><ref name="Dalby, 1998"/> Research into the genetics of the Guanche population has led to the conclusion that they share an ancestry with Berber peoples who immigrated from [[Northwest Africa]].{{sfn|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}}<ref name="Maca">{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201075 |title=Ancient mtDNA analysis and the origin of the Guanches |year=2003 |last1=Maca-Meyer |first1=Nicole |last2=Arnay |first2=Matilde |last3=Rando |first3=Juan Carlos |last4=Flores |first4=Carlos |last5=González |first5=Ana M. |last6=Cabrera |first6=Vicente M. |last7=Larruga |first7=José M. |journal=[[European Journal of Human Genetics]] |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=155–62 |pmid=14508507 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=Lawrence R. |last2=Bellingham |first2=Peter |title=Island Environments in a Changing World |page=162 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-521-51960-1}}</ref>

The islands were visited by a number of other peoples and representatives of distant civilizations during recorded history; the [[Numidians]], [[Phoenicians]], and [[Carthaginians]] all knew of the islands and made frequent visits,<ref>{{cite book |last=Galindo |first=Juan de Abreu |title=The History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands |publisher=Adamant Media Corporation |isbn=1-4021-7269-9 |page=173 |chapter=VII |date=1 January 1999}}</ref> including expeditions dispatched from [[Mogador]] by [[Juba II|Juba]].<ref>{{cite web |first=C. Michael |last=Hogan |title=Mogador: promontory fort |website=The Megalithic Portal |editor-first=Andy |editor-last=Burnham |date=2 November 2007 |url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17926 }}</ref>

Based on Roman [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]], found on and near the island of [[Lanzarote]], the Romans visited the Canary Islands during their occupation of mainland North Africa between the [[1st century|1st]] and [[4th century|4th centuries AD]]; the artifacts found show that the Romans engaged in trade with the people of the island. However, there is no evidence of them ever settling on or invading the Canaries.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Andrew L. |last=Slayman |title=Roman Trade With the Canary Islands |journal=Archeology Newsbriefs |publisher=Archaeological Institute of America |volume=50 |number=3 |date=May–June 1997 |url=https://www.archaeology.org/9705/newsbriefs/canaries.html }}</ref> [[Archaeology]] of the Canaries seems to reflect diverse levels of technology, with items differing widely from the [[Neolithic]] culture that would have been encountered by the Spanish, at the time of their conquest.

Scholars believe that the original settling by humans on the islands likely resulted in the [[extinction]] of uniquely-adapted [[Endemism|endemic]] [[species]], such as [[reptile]]s and [[mammal]]s exhibiting [[Island gigantism|insular gigantism]]; one example is believed to be ''[[Canariomys bravoi]]'', the extinct giant rat of Tenerife.

[[Pliny the Elder]], a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] author and military officer drawing from the accounts of [[Juba II]] (ancient King of [[Mauretania]]), stated that a Mauretanian expedition to the islands, circa [[50 BC]], found the [[ruins]] of great buildings, albeit with no population to speak of.<ref>Pliny, "Natural History" [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plin.+Nat.+6.37&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137 Bk 6 ch 37]</ref> If this account is accurate, it may suggest that the Guanche were not the only inhabitants, or the first ones;<ref name="EB1911" /> alternatively, this could imply that the Mauretanian expedition did not explore the islands thoroughly.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

Tenerife, specifically the archaeological site of the [[Cave of the Guanches]] in [[Icod de los Vinos]], has provided evidence of habitation dating to the [[6th century BC]]. This is based on the analyses of [[ceramic]]s and [[pottery]] artifacts that were found inside the cave.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://turismo.opennemas.com/articulo/cultura/protohistoria-tenerife/20140816110120000286.html |title=Protohistoria de Tenerife |language=es |trans-title=Protohistory of Tenerife |website=turismo.opennemas.com |date=16 August 2014 }}</ref>

Historically, the Guanche were the first peoples of Tenerife. Their population seems to have lived in relative obscurity and isolation up until the time of Castilian conquest (ca. the [[14th century]]); [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]], [[Portugal|Portuguese]], and [[Castilians|Castilian]] ships may have visited the archipelago earlier for trade purposes, from the second half of the [[8th century]] onward. The Spanish gradually applied the term "Guanche" to the indigenous populations of all seven Canary Islands,<ref name="EB1911" /> with those living on Tenerife being the most important or powerful.

What remains of their language, Guanche—a few expressions, vocabulary words and the proper names of ancient chieftains, still borne by certain families<ref name="EB1911" />—exhibits positive similarities with the Berber languages.<ref name="Bynon J. 1970, pp 64–77">{{cite book |last=Bynon |first=J. |chapter=The contribution of linguistics to history in the field of Berber studies. |editor-last=Dalby |editor-first=D. |title=Language and history in Africa |location=New York |publisher=Africana Publishing Corporation |date=1970 |pages=64–77}}</ref><ref name="Dalby, 1998">{{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Dalby |title=Dictionary of Languages |date=1998 |page=88 |quote=Guanche, indigenous language of the Canary Islands, is generally thought to have been a Berber language.}}</ref> The first reliable account of the Guanche language was provided by the Genoese explorer [[Nicoloso da Recco]] in 1341, with a translation of numbers used by the islanders.

According to European chroniclers, the Guanche did not possess a system of writing at the time of conquest; their potential writing system may have fallen into disuse, or aspects of it were simply overlooked by the colonists. Inscriptions, glyphs, rock paintings and carvings are all quite abundant throughout the archipelago. [[Petroglyph]]s attributed to other [[History of the Mediterranean region|Mediterranean civilizations]] have also been found on some of the islands. In [[1752]], [[Domingo Vandewalle]], a military governor of [[Las Palmas (province)|Las Palmas]],<ref name="EB1911" /> ventured to investigate the petroglyphs. Aquilino Padron, a priest at Las Palmas, catalogued inscriptions at El Julan, La Candía and La Caleta, all on [[Hierro|El Hierro]]. In [[1878]], Dr. René Verneau discovered rock carvings in the ravines of Las Balos that resembled [[History of Libya|Libyan]]<ref name="EB1911" /> or [[Numidia]]n script, dating from the time of [[Roman Empire|Roman]] occupation or earlier. In other locations, [[Tifinagh|Libyco-Berber script]] has been identified.

=== Pre-conquest exploration ===
{{Main|Canary Islands in pre-colonial times}}
[[File:AlonsoFernandezdeLugo3.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Guanche kings of Tenerife surrendering to [[Alonso Fernández de Lugo]]]]
The geographic accounts of [[Pliny the Elder]] and of [[Strabo]] mention the [[Fortunate Isles]] but do not report anything about their populations.

An account of the Guanche population may have been made around AD 1150 by the Arab geographer [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] in the ''Nuzhatul Mushtaq'', a book he wrote for [[Roger II|King Roger II of Sicily]]. Al-Idrisi reports a journey in the Atlantic Ocean made by the Mugharrarin ("the adventurers"), a family of [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] seafarers from [[Lisbon]]. The only surviving version of this book, kept at the [[Bibliothèque Nationale de France]], and first translated by [[Pierre Amédée Jaubert]], reports that, after having reached an area of "sticky and stinking waters," the Mugharrarin moved back and first reached an uninhabited Island ([[Madeira]] or [[Hierro]]), where they found "a huge quantity of sheep, which its meat was bitter and inedible". They "continued southward" and reached another island where they were soon surrounded by barks and brought to "a village whose inhabitants were often fair haired with long and flaxen hair and the women of a rare beauty." Among the villagers, one spoke Arabic and asked them where they came from. Then the king of the village ordered them to bring villagers back to the continent. There they were surprised to be welcomed by Berbers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Idrisi |title=La première géographie de l'Occident |language=fr |trans-title=The first geography of the West |publisher=NEF |location=Paris |date=1999}}</ref>

Apart from the marvelous and fanciful content of this history, this account suggests that the Guanche had sporadic contacts with populations from the mainland. Al-Idrisi described the Guanche men as tall and of a reddish-brown complexion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hodgkin |first1=Thomas |title=On the Ancient Inhabitants of the Canary Islands |date=1848 |publisher=[[Journal of the Ethnological Society]] |page=173 |url=https://archive.org/download/jstor-3014084/3014084.pdf |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>

During the 14th century, the Guanche are presumed to have had other contacts with [[Balearic Islands|Balearic]] seafarers from Spain. This is based on the Balearic [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] found on several of the Canary Islands.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

=== Castilian conquest ===
{{Main|Conquest of the Canary Islands|Kingdom of the Canary Islands}}
[[File:AlonsoFernandezdeLugo2.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Alonso Fernández de Lugo]] presenting the captured Guanche kings of Tenerife to [[Ferdinand and Isabella]]]]
The Castilian conquest of the Canary Islands began in 1402, with the expedition of [[Jean de Béthencourt]] and [[Gadifer de la Salle]] to the island of Lanzarote. Gadifer invaded Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

The other five islands fought back. El Hierro and the ''[[Bimbache]]'' population were the next to fall, then La Gomera, Gran Canaria, La Palma and in 1496, Tenerife.

In the [[First Battle of Acentejo]] (31 May 1494), called ''La Matanza'' (the slaughter), Guanche ambushed the Castilians in a valley and killed many. Only one in five of the Castilians survived, including the leader, [[Alonso Fernandez de Lugo]].

Lugo later returned to the island with the alliance of the kings of the southern part of the island. He defeated the Guanches in the [[Battle of Aguere]]. The northern Menceyatos or provinces fell after the [[Second Battle of Acentejo]] with the defeat of the successor of [[Bencomo]], Bentor, Mencey of Taoro—what is now the Orotava Valley—in 1496.

Various scholars have used the term "genocide" to describe the conquest of the Canary Islands.<ref name="Adhikari"/><ref name="Conversi">{{cite journal |last1=Conversi |first1=Daniele |author1-link=Daniele Conversi |title=Cultural Homogenization, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocide |journal=International Studies |date=2010 |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.139 |isbn=978-0-19-084662-6 |url=https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-139 |access-date=13 February 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Blench">{{cite journal |last1=Blench |first1=Roger |author1-link=Roger Blench |title=The peopling of the Canaries by the Berbers: new data and new hypotheses |journal=[[Études et Documents Berbères]] |date=2021 |volume=45-46 |pages=149–173}}</ref> [[Mohamed Adhikari]] argues that the Canary Islands were the scene of "Europe's first overseas settler colonial genocide," and that the mass killing and enslavement of natives, along with forced deportation, sexual violence and confiscation of land and children constituted an attempt to "destroy in whole" the Guanche people.<ref name="Adhikari"/> The tactics used in the Canary Islands in the 15th century served as a model for the Iberian colonisation of the Americas.<ref name="Adhikari"/><ref name="Conversi" />

== Language ==
{{See also|Guanche language}}
The native [[Guanche language]] is now known only through a few sentences and individual words, supplemented by several placenames. Many modern [[linguistics|linguists]] propose that it belongs to the [[Berber languages|Berber]] branch of the [[Afroasiatic languages]].<ref name="Bynon J. 1970, pp 64–77"/><ref name="Dalby, 1998"/><ref>{{cite book |first=Richard |last=Hayward |date=2000 |chapter=Afroasiatic |editor-last1=Heine |editor-last2=Nurse |title=African Languages |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref>

However, while there are recognizable Berber words (particularly with regards to agriculture) within the Guanche language, no Berber grammatical inflections have been identified; there is a large stock of vocabulary that does not bear any resemblance to Berber whatsoever.<ref name=Kossman>{{cite journal |first=Maarten |last=Kossmann |url=https://www.academia.edu/8902056 |title=Berber subclassification (preliminary version) |journal=Chapter Proposed for the Oxford Handbook of African Languages, ed. By Rainer Vossen |location=Leiden |date=2011}}</ref>

Other strong similarities to the Berber languages are reflected in their counting system, while some authors suggest the Canarian branch would be a sister branch to the surviving continental Berber languages, splitting off during the early development of the language family and before the ''terminus post quem'' for the origin of Proto-Berber.<ref name="Militarev 2018">{{Cite web |last=Militarev |first=Alexander |date=2018 |title=Libyo-Berbers-Tuaregs-Canarians (Tamâhaq Tuaregs in the Canary Islands in the Context of Ethno-Linguistic Prehistory of Libyo-Berbers: Linguistic and Inscriptional Evidence) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329403424 |website=ResearchGate}}</ref>

== System of beliefs ==
=== Religion and mythology ===
{{See also|Traditional Berber religion}}
[[File:MNH - Mencey-Stäbe.jpg|thumb|Chieftains' batons from La Palma|224x224px]]

Little is known of the religion of the Guanches. There was a general belief in a supreme being, called [[Achamán]] in Tenerife, [[Acoran]] in Gran Canaria, Eraoranhan in Hierro, and [[Abora]] in La Palma. The women of El Hierro worshipped a goddess called [[Moneiba]]. According to tradition, the male and female gods lived in mountains, from which they descended to hear the prayers of the people. On other islands, the natives venerated the [[sun]], [[moon]], [[earth]], and [[star]]s. A belief in an evil spirit was general. The demon of Tenerife was called [[Guayota]] and lived at the peak of [[Teide]] volcano, which was the [[hell]] called [[Teide|Echeyde]];<ref name=EB1911/> in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the minor demons took the form of wild black woolly dogs called Jucanchas<ref>{{cite web |url=http://insuloamaziq.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/jucancha.html |title=ÍNSULOAMAZIQ: Jucancha |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021191122/http://insuloamaziq.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/jucancha.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> in the first and [[Tibicena]]s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://insuloamaziq.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/tibicena.html |title=ÍNSULOAMAZIQ: Tibicena |access-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021192545/http://insuloamaziq.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/tibicena.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> in the latter, which lived in deep caves of the mountains, emerging at night to attack livestock and human beings.

[[File:Teide Tenerife3.jpg|thumb|Mount Teide on Tenerife]]

In [[Tenerife]], [[Magec]] (god of the Sun) and [[Chaxiraxi]] (the goddess mother) were also worshipped. In times of drought, the Guanches drove their flocks to consecrated grounds, where the lambs were separated from their mothers in the belief that their plaintive bleating would melt the heart of the Great Spirit.<ref name=EB1911/> During the religious feasts, hostilities were held in abeyance, from war to personal quarrels.

[[Cult image|Idols]] have been found in the islands, including the Idol of Tara ([[Museo Canario]], [[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria]]) and the [[Guatimac]] (Museum Archaeological of Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife). But many more figures have been found in the rest of the archipelago.

Most researchers agree that the Guanches performed their worship in the open, under sacred trees such as [[pine]] or [[Dracaena draco|drago]], or near sacred mountains such as Mount [[Teide]], which was believed to be the abode of the devil [[Guayota]]. Mount Teide was sacred to the aboriginal Guanches and since 2007 is a [[World Heritage Site]]. But sometimes the Guanches also performed worship in caves, as in "Cave of Achbinico" in Tenerife. Until the 20th century, there were in the Canary Islands (especially in northern Tenerife) individuals called "Animeros." They were similar to healers and mystics with a syncretic beliefs combining elements of the Guanche religion and Christianity. As in other countries close to the islands (e.g. [[marabouts]] from the [[Maghreb]]), the [[Animero]]s were considered "persons blessed by God."<ref>{{cite web |first=Fernándo |last=Hernández |url=http://www.esencia21.com/03_CANARIAS_MISTERIOSA/15_ANIMEROS.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505140747/http://www.esencia21.com/03_CANARIAS_MISTERIOSA/15_ANIMEROS.html |archive-date=5 May 2008 |title=Animeros en Canarias |trans-title=Animators in the Canary Islands |language=es}}</ref>

[[File:At Tenerife 2020 292.jpg|thumb|Guanche idol in the [[Museo Guanche]], [[Tenerife]]|254x254px]]

{| class="wikitable"
|+Principal gods of Tenerife
!God
!Role
|-
|[[Achamán]]
|The [[King of the Gods|supreme god]] of the Guanches on the island of Tenerife; he is the father god and creator.
|-
|[[Chaxiraxi]]
|The native Guanche goddess known as "supporter of he who holds the world [Abreu (''ca.'' 1590, III, 13) d. 1676: 90r]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reyes |first=Ignacio |date=2017-09-14 |title=Chaxiraxi |url=https://imeslan.com/2017/09/14/chaxiraxi/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=DICCIONARIO ÍNSULOAMAZIQ |language=es}}</ref>
|-
|[[Achguayaxerax/Xerax]] or [[Chijoraji]]
|A divine child, son of Chaxiraxi and "supporter of Heaven and Earth." [Abreu (''ca.'' 1590, III, 13) d. 1676: 90r].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reyes |first=Ignacio |date=2017-09-14 |title=Achguayaxerax |url=https://imeslan.com/2017/09/14/achguayaxerax/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=DICCIONARIO ÍNSULOAMAZIQ |language=es}}</ref>
|-
|[[Magec]]
|The god of the [[Sun]] and the light, and also thought to be one of the principal [[divinities]].
|-
|[[Achuguayo]]
|The "Supreme Being," according to oral tradition. [Bethencourt Alfonso (1911) 1994b: 260].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reyes |first=Ignacio |date=2017-10-23 |title=Achuguayo |url=https://imeslan.com/2017/10/23/achuguayo/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=DICCIONARIO ÍNSULOAMAZIQ |language=es}}</ref>
|-
|[[Achuhucanac]]
|[[Rain]] god, identified with the supreme god (Achamán).
|-
|[[Guayota]]
|The principal malignant deity and Achamán's adversary, who dwells inside Mount Teide.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Mythical beings
!Being
!Role
|-
|[[Maxios]]
|Benevolent minor [[gods]] or genies; domestic spirits and guardians of specific places.
|-
|[[Tibicena]]s
|Demons in the form of black dogs, these were children of Guayota, the malignant deity.
|}

=== Aboriginal priests ===
The Guanches had [[priest]]s or [[shaman]]s who were connected with the gods and ordained hierarchically:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Religious authority
!Jurisdiction
!Definition
|-
|Guadameñe or [[Guañameñe]]
|Tenerife
|spiritual advisers to the [[Mencey]]es (Aboriginal kings), who directed the worship.
|-
|Faykan or Faicán
|Gran Canaria
|a spiritual and religious person in charge, who directed the worship.
|-
|Maguadas or Arimaguadas
|Tenerife
Gran Canaria
|women priestesses dedicated to worship. They took part in some rituals.
|-
|Kankus
|Tenerife
|the priests responsible for the worship of the ancestor spirits and Maxios (minor gods or genies).
|}

=== Guatimac ===
{{Main|Guatimac}}

=== Festivities ===
'''[[Beñesmen]]''' or '''Beñesmer''' was a festival of the agricultural calendar of the Guanches (the Guanche new year) to be held after the gathering of crops devoted to Chaxiraxi (on August 15). In this event the Guanches shared milk, [[gofio]], sheep or goat meat. At the present time, this coincides with the pilgrimage to the Basilica of the [[Virgin of Candelaria]] (Patron of Canary Islands).

Among the cultural events are significant traces of aboriginal traditions at the holidays and in the current Romería Relief in [[Güímar]] ([[Tenerife]]) and the lowering of the Rama, in Agaete (Gran Canaria).<ref>[[:es:Mitología guanche#Festividades|1]]</ref>

=== Funerals and mummies ===
[[File:Momia guanche museo santa cruz 27-07.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Mummy of San Andrés]], in the [[Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre]] ([[Tenerife]], [[Canary Islands]])]]
{{Main|Guanche mummies}}
[[Mummy|Mummification]] was not commonly practiced throughout the islands but was highly developed on [[Tenerife]] in particular. In [[Gran Canaria]] there is currently a debate on the true nature of the mummies of the ancient inhabitants of the island, as researchers point out that there was no real intention to mummify the deceased and that the good conservation of some of them is due rather to environmental factors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Conrado Rodríguez-Maffiote: "Estamos en uno de los mejores momentos en cuanto a la investigación sobre la cultura guanche"|url=https://blog.rtve.es/historiasecretamomias/2020/05/conrado.html|publisher=blog.rtve.es/File:Replica de momia guanche en la gruta del Parque del Drago, Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, España, 2012-12-13, DD 01.jpgzaccess-date=6 June 2020|date=29 May 2020}}</ref> In [[La Palma]] they were preserved by these environmental factors and in [[La Gomera]], and [[El Hierro]] the existence of mummification is not verified. In [[Lanzarote]] and [[Fuerteventura]] this practice is ruled out.

[[File:Replica de momia guanche en la gruta del Parque del Drago, Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, España, 2012-12-13, DD 01.jpg|thumb|Replica of a mummy burial in the cave of Parque del Drago, Tenerife|250x250px]]

The Guanches [[embalming|embalmed]] their dead; many mummies have been found in an extreme state of desiccation, each weighing not more than {{cvt|7|lb|0|disp=flip}}. Two almost inaccessible caves in a vertical rock by the shore {{cvt|3|mi|0|disp=flip}} from Santa Cruz on Tenerife are said still to contain remains. The process of embalming seems to have varied. In Gran Canaria, the corpse was simply wrapped in goat or sheep skins, while in Tenerife a resinous substance was used to preserve the body, which was then placed in a cave difficult to access, or buried under a [[tumulus]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Troll|first1=Valentin R.|last2=Rodriguez-Gonzalez|first2=Alejandro|last3=Deegan|first3=Frances M.|last4=Perez-Torrado|first4=Francisco José|last5=Carracedo|first5=Juan Carlos|last6=Thomaidis|first6=Konstantinos|last7=Geiger|first7=Harri|last8=Meade|first8=Fiona C.|date=2019|title=Sacred ground; the Maipés necropolis of north-west Gran Canaria|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gto.12262|journal=Geology Today|language=en|volume=35|issue=2|pages=55–62|doi=10.1111/gto.12262|bibcode=2019GeolT..35...55T |s2cid=134369618|issn=1365-2451}}</ref> The work of embalming was reserved for a special class, with women tending to female corpses, and men for the male ones. Embalming seems not to have been universal.<ref name=EB1911/>

In the [[Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre]] ([[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]]) mummies of original inhabitants of the Canary Islands are displayed.

In 1933, the largest Guanche necropolis of the Canary Islands was found, at Uchova in the municipality of [[San Miguel de Abona]] in the south of the island of Tenerife. This cemetery was almost completely looted; it is estimated to have contained between 60 and 74 mummies.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120629124706/http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5js8mukVnZJz1rSsQmaz2vQN8Evcg Un estudio recuerda el expolio de la mayor necrópolis guanche jamás hallada]</ref>

=== Sacrifices ===
Although little is known about this practice among them, it has been shown that they performed both [[animal sacrifices]] and [[human sacrifices]].<ref name="academia.edu">[https://www.academia.edu/6630296/Sacrificios_de_ni%C3%B1os_y_sustitutorios_de_ovic%C3%A1pridos_al_dios_sol_sms_en_el_litoral_atl%C3%A1ntico_norteafricano_Child_and_Substitute_Ovicaprids_Sacrifices_to_the_Sun_God_%C5%A1m%C5%A1_in_the_North_African_Atlantic_Coast_ Sacrificios entre los Aborígenes canarios]</ref>

In [[Tenerife]] during the summer solstice, the Guanches killed livestock and threw them into a fire as an offering to the gods.<ref name="academia.edu"/> Bethencourt Alfonso has claimed that goat kids were tied by the legs, alive, to a stake so that they could be heard bleating by the gods. It is likely that animals were also sacrificed on the other islands.<ref name="academia.edu"/>

As for human sacrifices, in Tenerife it was the custom to throw a living child from the ''Punta de Rasca'' at sunrise at the summer solstice. Sometimes these children came from all parts of the island, even from remote areas of ''Punta de Rasca''. It follows that it was a common custom of the island.<ref name="academia.edu"/> On this island sacrificing other human victims associated with the death of the king, where adult men rushed to the sea are also known. Embalmers who produced the [[Guanche mummies]] also had a habit of throwing themselves into the sea one year after the king's death.<ref name="academia.edu"/>

Bones of children mixed with lambs and kids were found in [[Gran Canaria]], and in Tenerife amphorae have been found with remains of children inside. This suggests a different kind of ritual infanticide than those who were thrown overboard.<ref name="books.google.es">[https://books.google.com/books?id=GaoPAQAAQBAJ&dq=sacrificios+humanos+guanches&pg=PT341 Aparición de sacrificios de niños entre los Aborígenes Canarios]</ref>

[[Child sacrifice]] has been seen in other cultures, especially in the [[Mediterranean]]—[[Carthage]] (now [[Tunisia]]), [[Ugarit]] in what is now [[Syria]], [[Cyprus]] and [[Crete]].<ref name="books.google.es"/>{{relevant?|date=February 2025}}

== Political system ==
[[File:Tenerife preconquista.png|thumb|Tenerife prior to the Castilian invasion]]
The political and social institutions of the Guanches varied. In some islands like Gran Canaria, hereditary [[autocracy]] by matrilineality prevailed,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK28BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA8|title=An Archaeology of the Margins: Colonialism, Amazighity and Heritage Management in the Canary Islands|last=Jose Farrujia de la Rosa|first=Augusto|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4614-9396-9|page=8|language=en}}</ref> in others the government was [[democracy|elective]]. In Tenerife all the land belonged to the kings who leased it to their subjects.<ref name=EB1911/> In Gran Canaria, [[suicide]] was regarded as honorable, and whenever a new king was installed, one of his subjects willingly honored the occasion by throwing himself over a precipice.<ref name=EB1911/><ref>{{cite book |last=Aliño |first=López-Ibor |author2=Carmen Leal Cercós |author3=Carlos Carbonell Masiá |author4=Janssen-Cilag |others=World Psychiatric Association |title=Images of Spanish Psychiatry |publisher=Editorial Glosa, S.L. |isbn=84-7429-200-X |page=574 |date=2005 }}</ref> In some islands, [[polyandry]] was practised;<ref name=EB1911/> in others they were [[monogamy|monogamous]]. Insult of a woman by an armed man was allegedly a capital offense.<ref name=EB1911/> Anyone accused of a crime had to attend a public trial in Tagoror, a public court where those prosecuted were sentenced after a trial.

[[File:At Candelaria, Tenerife 2022 124.jpg|thumb|right|A statue of the Guanche Mencey [[Añaterve]] in [[Candelaria, Tenerife]].]]

The island of Tenerife was divided into nine small kingdoms (''menceyatos''), each ruled by a king or ''Mencey''. The Mencey was the ultimate ruler of the kingdom, and at times, meetings were held between the various kings. When the Castilians invaded the Canary Islands, the southern kingdoms joined the Castilian invaders on the promise of the richer lands of the north; the Castilians betrayed them after ultimately securing victory at the Battles of [[Battle of Aguere|Aguere]] and [[Second Battle of Acentejo|Acentejo]].

=== Kings (''Menceys'') of Tenerife ===
*'''[[Acaimo]]''' or Acaymo of [[Menceyato de Tacoronte]]
*'''[[Adjona]]''' of [[Menceyato de Abona]]
*'''[[Añaterve]]''' of [[Menceyato de Güímar]]
*'''[[Bencomo]]''' of [[Menceyato de Taoro]]
*'''[[Beneharo]]''' of [[Menceyato de Anaga]]
*'''[[Pelicar (mencey)|Pelicar]]''' of [[Menceyato de Adeje]]
*'''[[Pelinor (mencey)|Pelinor]]''' of [[Menceyato de Icode]]
*'''[[Romen (mencey)|Romen]]''' of [[Menceyato de Daute]]
*'''[[Tegueste (mencey)|Tegueste]]''' of [[Menceyato de Tegueste]]

In Tenerife, the grand Mencey [[Tinerfe]] and his father Sunta governed the unified island, which afterwards was divided into nine kingdoms by the children of Tinerfe.

== Clothes and weapons ==
Guanches wore [[garment]]s made from [[goat]] skins or woven from plant fibers called Tamarcos, which have been found in the tombs of Tenerife. They had a taste for ornaments and necklaces of wood, bone and shells, worked in different designs. Beads of baked earth, cylindrical and of all shapes, with smooth or polished surfaces, mostly colored black and red, were fairly common. Dr. René Verneau suggested that the objects the Castilians referred to as ''pintaderas'', baked clay seal-shaped objects, were used as vessels for painting the body in various colours. They manufactured rough [[pottery]], mostly without decorations, or ornamented by making fingernail indentations.

Guanche weapons adapted to the insular environment (using wood, bone, [[obsidian]] and stone as primary materials), with later influences from medieval European weaponry. Basic armaments in several of the islands included [[Javelin (weapon)|javelin]]s of 1 to 2 m in length (known as ''Banot'' on Tenerife); round, polished stones; spears; maces (common in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and known as ''Magado'' and ''Sunta'', respectively); and shields (small in Tenerife and human-sized in Gran Canaria, where they were known as ''Tarja'', made of [[Dracaena draco|Drago wood]] <!-- Should be the correct link. See http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_draco --> and painted with geometric shapes). After the arrival of the Europeans, Guanche nobility from Gran Canaria were known to wield large wooden swords (larger than the European two-handed type) called ''Magido'', which were said to be very effective against both infantrymen and cavalry. Weaponry made of wood was hardened with fire. These armaments were commonly complemented with an obsidian knife known as ''Tabona''.

[[File:Pueblo Chico Guanchen2.jpg|250px|thumb|Reconstruction of a Guanche settlement of Tenerife]]
Dwellings were situated in natural or artificial caves in the mountains. In areas where cave dwellings were not feasible, they built small round houses and, according to the Castilians, practiced crude fortification.

[[File:Pueblo Chico Guanchen1.JPG|250px|thumb|The Guanches on Tenerife]]

{| class="wikitable"
|+Presumed Guanche names of the Canary Islands
!Spanish
!Guanche
|-
|rowspan=3|Tenerife
|[[Achinet|Achinech]]
|-
|Achineche
|-
|Asensen
|-
|rowspan=2|La Gomera
|Gomera
|-
|Gomahara
|-
|La Palma
|Benahoare
|-
|rowspan=2|El Hierro
|Eseró
|-
|Heró
|-
|Gran Canaria
|Tamaran
|-
|rowspan=2|Lanzarote
|Titerogakaet
|-
|Titeroigatra
|-
|rowspan=3|Fuerteventura
|Maxorata
|-
|Erbania
|-
|Erbani
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MNH - Schüssel Garafia.jpg|Pottery
File:MNH - Mencey-Stab.jpg|Mencey baton
File:El Guatimac 2.jpg|[[Guatimac]] idol
File:MNH - Mühlstein 2.jpg|Stone artefacts

</gallery>

==Genetics==
[[File:Waffen der Canarios Torriani 1590.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Painting of Guanche warriors of [[Grand Canaria]] by [[:es:Leonardo Torriani|Leonardo Torriani]], 1592]]
{{Further|Bimbache#Genetics}}
{{See also|Kelif el Boroud#Genetics}}
{{harvnb|Maca-Meyer et al.|2003}} extracted 71 samples of [[mtDNA]] from Guanches buried at numerous Canary Islands (c. 1000 AD). The examined Guanches were found to have closest genetic affinities to modern Moroccan [[Berbers]], [[Canary Islanders]] and [[Spaniards]]. They carried a significantly high amount of the maternal haplogroup [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)#Haplogroup U6|U6b1]]. U6b1 is found at very low frequencies in North Africa today, and it was suggested that later developments have significantly altered the Berber gene pool. The authors of the study suggested that the Guanches were descended from migrants from mainland North Africa related to the Berbers, and that the Guanches contributed 42–73% to the maternal gene pool of modern Canary Islanders.{{sfn|Maca-Meyer et al.|2003}}

{{harvnb|Fregel et al.|2009a}} extracted 30 samples of [[Y-DNA]] from Guanches of the Canary Islands. These belonged to the paternal haplogroups [[Haplogroup E-M132|E1a*]], (3.33%), [[Haplogroup E-V68|E1b1b1a*]] (23.33%), [[Haplogroup E-Z827|E1b1b1b*]] (26.67%), [[Haplogroup I-M170|I*]] (6.67%), [[Haplogroup J-M267|J1*]] (16.67%), [[Haplogroup K-M9|K*]], [[Haplogroup P (Y-DNA)|P*]] (3.33%), and [[Haplogroup R-M269|R1b1b2]] (10.00%). E1a*, E1b1b1a* and E1b1b1b* are common lineages among Berbers, and their high frequency among the Guanches were considered evidence that they were migrants from North Africa. R1b1b2 and I* are very common in lineages in Europe, and their moderate frequency among the examined Guanche males was suggested to have been a result of prehistoric gene flow from Europe into the region across the [[Mediterranean]]. It was found that Guanche males contributed less to the gene pool of modern Canary Islanders than Guanche females (as would be expected from the extremely bloody conquest of the islands). Haplogroups typical among the Guanche have been found at high frequencies in [[Latin America]], suggesting that descendants of the Guanche played an active role in the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]].{{sfn|Fregel et al.|2009a}}

[[File:Canarios Torriani 1590.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Painting of Guanches of [[Grand Canaria]] by [[:es:Leonardo Torriani|Leonardo Torriani]], 1592]]

{{harvnb|Fregel et al.|2009b}} extracted the mtDNA of 30 Guanches from [[La Palma]], (Benahoaritas). 93% of their mtDNA haplogroups were found to be of [[West Eurasia]]n origin, while 7% were of [[sub-Saharan Africa]]n origin. About 15% of their West Eurasian maternal lineages are specific to [[Europe]] and the [[Near East]] rather than North Africa, suggesting that the Benahoaritas traced partial descent from either of these regions. The examined Benahoaritas were found to have high frequencies of the maternal haplogroups U6b1 and [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)#H1|H1-16260]]. U6b1 has not been found in North Africa, while H1-16260 is "extremely rare." The results suggested that the North African population from whom the Benahoaritas and other Guanches descended has been largely replaced by subsequent migrations.{{sfn|Fregel et al.|2009b}}

[[File:Gomeros.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Painting of Gomeros of [[La Gomera]] by [[:es:Leonardo Torriani|Leonardo Torriani]], 1592]]

{{harvnb|Pereira et al.|2010}} studies the origins of the maternal haplogroup [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)#Haplogroup U6|U6]], which is characteristic of Guanches. It was suggested that the U6 was brought to North Africa by [[Cro-Magnon]]-like humans from the Near East during the [[Upper Paleolithic]], who were probably responsible for the formation of the [[Iberomaurusian]] culture.{{sfn|Pereira et al.|2010}} It was also suggested that the maternal haplogroup H1, also frequent among Guanches, was brought to North Africa during the [[Holocene]] by migrants from Iberia, who may have participated in the formation of the [[Capsian culture]].{{sfn|Pereira et al.|2010}} In a further study, {{harvnb|Secher et al.|2014}} suggested that U6 was brought to the Levant from Central Europe in the [[Upper Paleolithic]] by people of the [[Aurignacian]] culture, forming the [[Levantine Aurignacian]] (c. 33000 BC), whose descendants had then further spread U6 as part of a remigration into Africa. U6b1a was suggested to have been brought to the Canary Islands during the initial wave of settlement by Guanches, while U6c1 was suggested to have been brought in a second wave.{{sfn|Secher et al.|2014}}

[[File:Bimbaches.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Painting of [[Bimbache]] of [[El Hierro]] by [[:es:Leonardo Torriani|Leonardo Torriani]], 1592]]

{{harvnb|Fregel et al.|2015}} examined the mtDNA of Guanches of [[La Gomera]] (Gomeros). 65% of the examined Gomeros were found to be carriers of the maternal haplogroup U6b1a. The Gomero appeared to be descended from the earliest wave of settlers to the Canary Islands. The maternal haplogroups [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T2c1]] and [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)#Haplogroup U6|U6c1]] may have been introduced in a second wave of colonization affecting the other islands. It was noted that 44% of modern La Gomerans carry U6b1a. It was determined that La Gomerans have the highest amount of Guanche ancestry among modern Canary Islanders.{{sfn|Fregel et al.|2015}}

{{harvnb|Ordóñez et al.|2017}} examined the remains of a large number of Guanches of El Hierro ([[Bimbache]]) buried at Punta Azul, El Hierro (c. 1015–1200 AD). The 16 samples of Y-DNA extracted belonged to the paternal haplogroups [[Haplogroup E-M132|E1a]] (1 sample), [[Haplogroup E-V68|E1b1b1a1]] (7 samples) and [[Haplogroup R-M269|R1b1a2]] (R1b-M269) (7 samples).{{sfn|Ordóñez et al.|2017|p=24|loc=Table 2}} All the extracted samples of [[mtDNA]] belonged to the maternal haplogroup [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)#H1|H1-1626]]. The Bimbache were identified as descendants of the first wave of Guanche settlers on the Canary Islands, as they lacked the paternal and maternal lineages identified with the hypothetical second wave.{{sfn|Ordóñez et al.|2017}}

{{harvnb|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}} examined the [[atDNA]] of 11 Guanches buried at Gran Canaria and Tenerife. The 3 samples of Y-DNA extracted all belonged to the paternal haplogroup [[Haplogroup E-M215 (Y-DNA)|E1b1b1b1a1]] (E-M183), while the 11 samples of mtDNA extracted belonged to the maternal haplogroups [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H1cf]], [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H2a]], [[Haplogroup L3 (mtDNA)|L3b1a]] (3 samples), [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T2c12]], U6b1a (3 samples), [[Haplogroup J (mtDNA)|J1c3]] and U6b.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017|p=3397|loc=Table 1}} It was determined that the examined Guanches were genetically similar between the 7th and 11th centuries AD, and that they displayed closest genetic affinity to modern North Africans, "but with a tendency (especially for individuals from Gran Canaria) to occupy a space outside modern Northwest African variation, closer to Europeans." The evidence supported the notion that the Guanches were descended from a Berber-like population who had migrated from mainland North Africa. Among modern populations, Guanches were also found to be genetically similar to modern [[Sardinians]]. Some models found the Guanche to be more closely related to modern Sardinians than modern North Africans. They were determined to be carriers of [[Early European Farmer]] (EEF) ancestry, which probably spread into North Africa from Iberia during the Neolithic, or perhaps also later.<ref>{{harvnb|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}}. "The results of the ADMIXTURE analysis furthermore show that the Guanches carried early European farmer (EEF)-like ancestry..."</ref> One Guanche was also found to have ancestry related to European hunter-gatherers, providing further evidence of prehistoric gene flow from Europe. It was estimated that modern Canary Islanders derive 16–31% of their atDNA from the Guanches. Furthermore, according to the phenotype analysis, these Guanche samples were showing light and medium skin, dark hair and brown eyes.{{sfn|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}}

{{harvnb|Fregel et al.|2018}} examined remains at the Late Neolithic site of [[Kelif el Boroud]], Morocco (c. 3780–3650 BC). The Kelif el Boroud people were modeled as being equally descended from people buried at the Neolithic sites of [[Ifri N'Ammar]], Morocco (c. 5325–4786 BC) and the [[Cave of El Toro]], Spain (c. 5280–4750 BC). The Kelif el Boroud were thus determined to have carried 50% EEF ancestry, which may have spread with the [[Cardial Ware]] culture from Iberia to North Africa during the Neolithic. After the Kelif el Boroud people, additional European ancestry may have been brought to the region from Iberia by people of the [[Bell Beaker culture]]. Guanches were found to the genetically very similar to the Kelif el Boroud people.{{sfn|Fregel et al.|2018}} In a 2020 review Fregel et al. identified European Bronze Age ancestry in the Guanches, which could be explained by "the presence of Bell-Beaker pottery in the North African archaeological record," as well as observing a certain admixture "possibly related to trans-Saharan migrations".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |display-authors=etal |date=2020 |title=The demography of the Canary Islands from a genetic perspective |url=https://academic.oup.com/hmg/article/30/R1/R64/6028725?login=false |journal=Human Molecular Genetics |volume=30 |issue=R1 |pages=R64–R71 |doi=10.1093/hmg/ddaa262 |pmid=33295602 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

{{harvnb|Fregel et al.|2019}} examined the mtDNA of 48 Guanches buried on all the islands of the Canaries. They were found to be carrying maternal lineages characteristic of North Africa, Europe and the Near East, with Eurasian lineages centered around the Mediterranean being the most common. It was suggested that some of these Eurasian haplogroups had arrived in the region through Chalcolithic and Bronze Age migrations from Europe. Genetic diversity was found to be the highest at Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Palma, while Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and particularly La Gomera and El Hierro had low diversity. Significant genetic differences were detected between Guanches of western and eastern islands, which supported the notion that Guanches were descended from two distinct migration waves. It was considered significant that 40% of all examined Guanches so far belonged to the maternal [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|haplogroup H]].{{sfn|Fregel et al.|2019}}
[[File:Spatial frequency distribution (%) of haplogroup H1 in western Eurasia and North Africa..png|thumb|Spatial frequency distribution (%) of haplogroup H1 in western Eurasia and North Africa]]
Serrano et al. 2023 analysed genome-wide data from 49 Guanche individuals, whose ancestry was modelled as comprising 73.3% [[Kehf el Baroud|Morocco Late Neolithic]], 6.9% Morocco Early Neolithic, 13.4% [[Bell Beaker culture|Germany Bell Beaker]] and 6.4% [[Genetic history of Eastern Africa#Ancient DNA|Mota]], on average, with Germany Bell Beaker ancestry reaching 16.2% and 17.9% in samples from Gran Canaria and Lanzarote respectively.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |volume=14 |issue=4641 |date=2023 |title=The genomic history of the indigenous people of the Canary Islands |last1=Serrano |first1=J.G. |article-number=4641 |display-authors=etal |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-40198-w |doi-access=free |pmid=37582830 |pmc=10427657 |bibcode=2023NatCo..14.4641S |hdl=10553/124288 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> The mtDNA results indicated some heterogeneity, as many islands had a greater affinity with populations from Europe, while others were more akin to ancient individuals from prehistoric North Africa. Overall, they formed a cluster with Late Neolithic Moroccans and contemporary North Africans, these observations said to be consistent with other studies.<ref name=":0" /> 

=== Mitochondrial DNA ===
Regarding mitochondrial DNA, the maternal lineages are characterized by the prevalence of North-African lineages, followed by Europeans and finally in a small percentage by Sub-Saharans. According to different studies, the percentages are the following:

{| class="wikitable"
! !! North-African !! European !! Sub-Saharan

|-
| '''Canary Islands<ref>Elston. 1971, [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5571751/ The estimation of admixture in racial hybrids]</ref>'''|| 57% ||43% || 0

|-
| '''Canary Islands<ref>Nicole Maca Meyer. 2002, [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/39379735_Composicion_genetica_de_poblaciones_historicas_y_prehistoricas_humanas_de_las_Islas_Canarias Composición genética de poblaciones históricas y prehistóricas humanas de las Islas Canarias]</ref>'''|| 50.2% ||43.2% || 6.6%
|-
| '''Gran Canaria<ref>[https://www.scielo.br/j/gmb/a/B6p9mWfjxjtCFqGWGff7hYD/?lang=en Ribeiro's typology, genomes, and Spanish colonialism, as viewed from Gran Canaria and Colombia ]</ref>'''|| 55% || 45% || 0
|}

=== Autosomal DNA ===
A 2018 study of 400 adult men and women of all the islands, except La Graciosa, examined the relationship of Canarian genetic diversity with the more prevalent complex diseases in the archipelago. It detected that Canarian DNA shows distinctive genetics, resulting from variables such as the geographical isolation of the islands, environmental adaptations and the historical mixture of Pre-Hispanic population of the archipelago (coming from North Africa), with European and Sub-Saharan individuals. Specifically, the study estimated that the Canarian population, at an autosomal level, is 80% European, 17% North-African and 3% Sub-Saharan.<ref name="sociedad">{{Cite web |date=12 January 2019 |title=Cuatro apellidos canarios, un bisabuelo peninsular y otro africano |url=https://www.canarias7.es/sociedad/cuatro-apellidos-canarios-un-bisabuelo-peninsular-y-otro-africano-YH6339320 |access-date=17 March 2024 |website=[[Canarias7]] |language=es }}</ref>

The table below shows the genomic proportions of North African and Sub-Saharan African ancestry by island.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Guillen-Guio |first1=Beatriz |last2=Lorenzo-Salazar |first2=Jose M. |last3=González-Montelongo |first3=Rafaela |last4=Díaz-de Usera |first4=Ana |last5=Marcelino-Rodríguez |first5=Itahisa |last6=Corrales |first6=Almudena |last7=Cabrera de León |first7=Antonio |last8=Alonso |first8=Santos |last9=Flores |first9=Carlos |display-authors=1 |date=December 2018 |title=Genomic Analyses of Human European Diversity at the Southwestern Edge: Isolation, African Influence and Disease Associations in the Canary Islands |url=https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/35/12/3010/5115937 |journal=[[Molecular Biology and Evolution]] |volume=35 |issue=12 |page=3015 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msy190 |pmid=30289472 |pmc=6278859}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! !! colspan="3" | North African !! colspan="3" | Sub-Saharan African 
|-
| || '''Minimum'''|| '''Average'''|| '''Maximum'''|| '''Minimum'''|| '''Average'''|| '''Maximum'''
|-
| '''Fuerteventura'''|| 0.218 || 0.255 || 0.296 || 0.011 || 0.027 || 0.046
|-
| '''Lanzarote'''|| 0.214 || 0.254 || 0.296 || 0.014 || 0.032 || 0.057
|-
| '''Gran Canaria'''|| 0.155 || 0.200 || 0.264 || 0.005 || 0.032 || 0.082
|-
| '''Tenerife'''|| 0.149 || 0.208 || 0.255 || 0.002 || 0.015 || 0.057
|-
| '''La Gomera'''|| 0.160 || 0.221 || 0.289 || 0.013 || 0.048 || 0.092
|-
| '''La Palma'''|| 0.170 || 0.200 || 0.245 || 0.000 || 0.013 || 0.032
|-
| '''El Hierro'''|| 0.192 || 0.246 || 0.299 || 0.005 || 0.020 || 0.032
|}

== Archeological sites ==
The main and most significant archaeological sites on each island are:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/singleitem/collection/MDC/id/163389/rec/1 |title=Las manifestaciones artísticas prehispánicas y su huella |language=es |trans-title= |access-date=29 September 2020 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524191124/https://mdc.ulpgc.es/cdm/singleitem/collection/MDC/id/163389/rec/1 }}</ref>

* [[Lanzarote]]: Zonzamas
* [[Fuerteventura]]: [[Montaña de Tindaya]]
* [[Gran Canaria]]: [[Painted Cave, Galdar|Painted Cave of Gáldar]]
* [[Tenerife]]: Masca's solar station
* [[La Gomera]]: Fortress of Chipude
* [[La Palma]]: Cave of Belmaco
* [[El Hierro]]: Archaeological zone of El Julan

== Museums ==
[[File:Museodelanaturalezayelhombre06.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Zanata Stone]]]]
Many of the islands' museums possess collections of archaeological material and human remains from the [[Canary Islands in pre-colonial times|prehistory and history]] of the archipelago of the Canaries. Some of the most important are:

* [[Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre]] ([[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]]).
* [[Museo Canario]] ([[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria]]).
* [[Museum of the History of Tenerife|Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife]] (Casa Lercaro, [[San Cristóbal de La Laguna]], Tenerife).
* [[Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz]] ([[Puerto de la Cruz]], [[Tenerife]]).

== New religious movement ==
In 2001, the [[Church of the Guanche People]] (''Iglesia del Pueblo Guanche''), a [[Neopagan]] movement with several hundred followers, was founded in [[San Cristóbal de La Laguna]] ([[Tenerife]]).<ref>[https://www.pluralismoyconvivencia.es/publicaciones/fichas/religiones_entre_continentes__minorias_religiosas_en_canarias.html Minorías religiosas en Canarias] {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref>[http://www.laopinion.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2008100300_9_173826__Sociedad-canarios-profesa-religion-minoritaria ''La Opinión de Tenerife'' on religious minorities in the Canaries] {{in lang|es}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
*[[Beneharo]], ''mencey'' ({{Translation|king}}) of [[Menceyato of Taoro|Taoro]] on the island of [[Tenerife]]
*[[Bencomo]], penultimate ''mencey'' of Taoro
*[[Tinguaro]], ''sigoñe'' ({{Translation|warrior}}) of Tenerife and half-brother of Bencomo
*[[Dácil]], princess and daughter of Bencomo. She is known as the [[Pocahontas]] of the Canary Islands; she was presented to the King of Spain with her father and was married to the first Spanish settler.
*[[Tanausu]], ruler of Aceró on the island of [[Benahoare]]
*[[Fernando Guanarteme]] (born Tenesor Semidan), king who aided Spanish conquest
*[[Maninidra]], brother of Guanarteme
*[[Acaimo]], ''mencey'' of [[Menceyato of Tacoronte|Tacoronte]] on Tenerife
*[[Abenchara]], queen of Gran Canaria
*[[Francisca de Gazmira]], mediator between the indigenous peoples and the Crown of Castile and defender of indigenous rights

==See also==
*[[Guanche language]]
*[[Hamitic]]
*[[Silbo Gomero]]{{Snd}}a Guanche whistling language, still extant
*[[Isleños]]
*[[First Battle of Acentejo]]
*[[Battle of Aguere]]
*[[Second Battle of Acentejo]]
*[[Teide]]
*[[Achinet]]
*[[Animero]]
*[[Beñesmen]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography and further reading ==
{{refbegin|20em}}
* {{cite book |last=Crosby |first=Alfred W. |title=Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900–1900 |date=1993}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |last2=Gomez |first2=Verónica |display-authors=1 |date=3 August 2009 |title=Demographic history of Canary Islands male gene-pool: replacement of native lineages by European |journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]] |publisher=[[BioMed Central]] |volume=9 |issue=181 |page= 181|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-181 |pmc=2728732 |pmid=19650893 |ref={{harvid|Fregel et al.|2009a}} |doi-access=free |bibcode=2009BMCEE...9..181F}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |last2=Pestano |first2=Jose |display-authors=1 |date=October 2009 |title=The maternal aborigine colonization of La Palma (Canary Islands) |journal=[[European Journal of Human Genetics]] |publisher=[[Nature Research]] |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=1314–1324 |doi=10.1038/ejhg.2009.46 |pmc=2986650 |pmid=19337312 |ref={{harvid|Fregel et al.|2009b}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |last2=Cabrera |first2=Vicente M. |display-authors=1 |date=September 23, 2015 |title=Isolation and prominent aboriginal maternal legacy in the present-day population of La Gomera (Canary Islands) |journal=[[European Journal of Human Genetics]] |publisher=[[Nature Research]] |volume=23 |issue=9 |pages=1236–1243 |doi=10.1038/ejhg.2014.251 |pmc=4538205 |pmid=25407001 |ref={{harvid|Fregel et al.|2015}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |last2=Méndez |first2=Fernando L. |display-authors=1 |date=26 June 2018 |title=Ancient genomes from North Africa evidence prehistoric migrations to the Maghreb from both the Levant and Europe |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=115 |issue=26 |pages=6774–6779 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1800851115 |doi-access=free |pmc=6042094 |pmid=29895688 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115.6774F |ref={{harvid|Fregel et al.|2018}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Fregel |first1=Rosa |last2=Ordóñez |first2= Alejandra C. |display-authors=1 |date=March 20, 2019 |title=Mitogenomes illuminate the origin and migration patterns of the indigenous people of the Canary Islands |journal=[[PLOS One]] |publisher=[[PLOS]] |volume=14 |issue=3 |article-number= e0209125|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0209125 |pmc=6426200 |pmid=30893316 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1409125F |ref={{harvid|Fregel et al.|2019}} |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ordóñez |first1=Alejandra C. |last2=Fregel |first2=R. |display-authors=1 |date=February 2017 |title=Genetic studies on the prehispanic population buried in Punta Azul cave (El Hierro, Canary Islands) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440316301686 |access-date=July 13, 2020 |journal=[[Journal of Archaeological Science]] |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |volume=78 |pages=20–28 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2016.11.004 |bibcode=2017JArSc..78...20O |ref={{harvid|Ordóñez et al.|2017}}|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Maca-Meyer |first1=Nicole |last2=Arnay |first2=Matilde |display-authors=1 |date=24 September 2003 |title=Ancient mtDNA analysis and the origin of the Guanches |journal=[[European Journal of Human Genetics]] |publisher=[[Nature Research]] |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=155–162 |doi=10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201075 |doi-access=free |pmid=14508507 |ref={{harvid|Maca-Meyer et al.|2003}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Mercer |first=John |title=The Canary Islanders: Their History, Conquest & Survival |date=1980}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Pereira |first1=Luisa |last2=Silva |first2=Nuno M. |display-authors=1 |date=21 December 2010 |title=Population expansion in the North African Late Pleistocene signalled by mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6 |journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]] |publisher=[[BioMed Central]] |volume=10 |issue=1 |page= 390|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-10-390 |pmc=3016289 |pmid=21176127 |ref={{harvid|Pereira et al.|2010}} |doi-access=free |bibcode=2010BMCEE..10..390P }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Rodríguez-Varela |first1=Ricardo |last2=Günther |first2=Thorsten |last3=Krzewińska |first3=Maja |first4=Jan |last4=Storå |first5=Thomas H. |last5=Gillingwater |first6=Malcolm |last6=MacCallum |first7=Juan Luis |last7=Arsuaga |first8=Keith |last8=Dobney |first9=Cristina |last9=Valdiosera |first10=Mattias |last10=Jakobsson |first11=Anders |last11=Götherström |first12=Linus |last12=Girdland-Flink |display-authors=1 |date=26 October 2017 |title=Genomic Analyses of Pre-European Conquest Human Remains from the Canary Islands Reveal Close Affinity to Modern North Africans |journal=[[Current Biology]] |publisher=[[Cell Press]] |volume=27 |issue=21 |pages=3396–3402 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.059 |doi-access=free |pmid=29107554 |bibcode=2017CBio...27E3396R |ref={{harvid|Rodríguez-Varela et al.|2017}}|hdl=2164/13526 |hdl-access=free}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Secher |first1=Bernard |last2=Fregel |first2=Rosa |display-authors=1 |date=19 May 2014 |title=The history of the North African mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6 gene flow into the African, Eurasian and American continents |journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]] |publisher=[[BioMed Central]] |volume=14 |issue=109 |page= 109|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-14-109 |pmc=4062890 |pmid=24885141 |ref={{harvid|Secher et al.|2014}} |doi-access=free |bibcode=2014BMCEE..14..109S}}
* [https://www.archaeology.org/9705/newsbriefs/canaries.html Roman Trade with the Canary Islands, Archaeology 50.3 (1997)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060901103743/http://www.vw.vccs.edu/vwhansd/HIS121/Columbus.html#CCJournal The Voyages of Christopher Columbus]
* [http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/01-col.html E. G. Bourne, ed., The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot (New York, 1906)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324175722/http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/01-col.html |date=2010-03-24 }}
* [https://www.canarias.com/canarian-traditions/guanches/ Canarias.com – Guanches]
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111219001247/http://www.rareplants.de/islas_canarias/guanches_canary_islands/los_guanches.htm Canary Islands – Los Guanches] at Rare Plants
* [https://www.museosdetenerife.org/ Museums of Tenerife]
* [http://www.travellingthepast.com/the-canaries/ Archaeology of the Guanches and the Galdar Painted cave] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202223811/http://www.travellingthepast.com/the-canaries/ |date=2020-02-02 }}

{{Culture of Canary Islands}}
{{Berber}}
{{Pre-Roman peoples in Spain}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient peoples]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of North Africa]]
[[Category:History of the Canary Islands]]
[[Category:Guanche]]
[[Category:Extinct Indigenous peoples]]