Europe -> Southern Europe -> Canary Islands

Tenerife is the largest of the seven main Canary Islands. The island was formed by volcanic activity and measures over 2000km² making it the largest of the Canary Islands, with a population of roughly over 850,000. The island also lays claim to the highest point in Spain, El Teide at 3717m.

The island of Tenerife emerged from the ocean over 10 million years ago. The theory is that it was at first three separate islands which were then fused together in huge volcanic activity about 3 million years ago. During this enormous volcanic process the great central volcano collapsed in on itself to form Las Canadas, which at a length of 17kms is one of the largest collapsed craters in the world.

Another, more imaginative, theory suggests that Tenerife and other surrounding islands are what is left of the great lost continent of Atlantis that disappeared beneath the ocean leaving only its highest peaks visible above the waves.

The name Tenerife literally translates as white mountain from the words “tene” (mountain) and “ife” (white). The name is a reference to the snow often visible atop El Teide. It is believed the inhabitants of the neighbouring island of La Palma first coined the name. The Romans knew the island as Nivaria coming from the Latin word nix meaning snow.

The Guanche:

Tenerife was initially inhabited by the Guanche people. Little is known as to where these people came from; though it is likely they arrived on the island from either southern Spain or northern Africa. One theory is that they arrived from North Africa, carried by the currents in a simple vessel. Some suggest they were of Egyptian descent due to their practise of mummifying their dead.

The Guanche were primitive, cave-dwelling people. They lived a basic life working the land and herding animals. The Guanche did not have much interaction between the different islands probably because, as early European reports suggest, they were not great seafarers. Despite visits from the Phoenicians and the Romans, the Guanche made relatively little progress as people. This is evident from the simple tools they used and the fact they remained blissfully unaware of such inventions as the wheel.

Guanche society was ruled by a King, who would be ordained by a high priest and who ruled over a number of local chieftains. This social structure was also evident in most of the other Gran Canary islands, though there were differences in laws and attitudes. For example a murderer in Tenerife would have all their possessions given to the family of the victim and be banished to live in exile; in Gran Canaria the punishment was simply death. On El Hierro, a thief would have his eye removed; but on La Palma thievery was considered a form of art and thieves went unpunished. On Fuerteventura, criminals of all description would be crushed to death under rocks. The Guanche of Tenerife were known as the bravest and most feared of all the indigenous people of the area.

The Spanish Conquest:

Tenerife was the last of the Canary Islands to come under Spanish rule, finally surrendering to the Crown of Castile on December 25^th, 1495. The Spanish conqueror, Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, first arrived on the island at the bay of Anaza (what is today the harbour of Santa Cruz). He was on orders to conquer the last remaining Guanche stronghold in the Canary Islands. However, he met some fierce resistance and suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of King Bencomo and his warriors. The battle took place on 31^st May 1494 at the Bay of Acentejo, where Bencomo gathered his warriors and slaughtered 2000 Spanish invaders. Alonso Fernandez de Lugo himself was seriously injured. There is now a town at the site of the battle named La Matanza (the slaughter).

It was a year and half before the Guanche finally succumbed to the superior forces of the Spanish. The local inhabitants were severely weakened by plague at the time of the conquest. The Guanche population was all but wiped out, with survivors of the conquest either enslaved or succumbing to disease brought to the island by new inhabitants. The Spanish cleared much of the native pine forest on the island to make way for sugarcane plantations.

The island of Tenerife continued to evolve over the years, as it became a key stopover for Spanish boats sailing to America and the New World. The island would provide the ships with shelter and food supplies. Indeed Christopher Columbus stopped over in August 1492 before his famous voyage west and made an entry in his diary remarking on volcanic activity he saw on Mt Teide.

While this increase in seafaring provided economic benefits to Tenerife, it also brought its share of problems. The island was victim to many attacks, most notably by the British under the command of Lord Admiral Nelson in July 1797. Nelson famously lost his right arm to a cannonball during a fierce battle at the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A second assault by the British a couple of months later was also repelled by the locals of Santiago Valley, who hurled boulders at them off the cliffs of Los Gigantes.

Modern Times:

Another famous visitor to Tenerife was Francisco Franco, who was posted to the island in March 1936 by the Spanish Republican government on suspicion of conspiracy. While on the island Franco collaborated with his supporters and allies in the military coup that would signal the start of the Spanish Civil War. When the island fell to the nationalists in July 1936, most of the inhabitants were executed by the new regime. The misery of these years caused many of those who had not lost their lives to emigrate to Latin America.

Agriculture has been an important part of the economy over the years, especially after the trade that developed from the arrival of ships heading west. Another important export for the island was cochineal, a dye which comes from the cochineal beetle found on the island. However, after the advance of other dyes such as Aniline during the latter half of the 19^th century, cochineal production ceased and thousands were forced to leave the island.

Tourists began arriving in Tenerife the 1890s drawn by the beauty and climate of the island. Nowadays tourism is the mainstay of the local economy, and today one can certainly see how this has dramatically shaped development on the island. Local population, too, has grown as tourism has bought more jobs to the island.

One other notorious event in Tenerife’s recent history was the airline collision in March 1977 at Los Rodeos airport. This remains the second most deadly airline disaster in history after September 11^th, 2001.