Historical Figures
Meet the figures who have shaped the historical course of the Canary Islands, from the Guanche menceyes to contemporary protagonists.
Pre-Hispanic Era
Showing 8 figures.
Jean de Béthencourt
Norman conqueror
c. 1360/1362 - 1425
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Bencomo
Mencey of Taoro
1495
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Dácil
Literary figure of Taoro
tradición literaria del siglo XV
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Francisca de Gazmira
Palmeran mediator and interpreter
documented 1494-1500
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Guanarteme Tenesor Semidán
Guanarteme of Gáldar
documented during the conquest of Gran Canaria
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Guayarmina Semidán
Figure of the Guanarteme house
siglo XV
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Ruymán
Figure of Guanche literary tradition
Siglo XV
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Tanausú
King of Aceró
c. 1493
Meet figures15th Century
Showing 6 figures.
Inés Peraza de las Casas
Lady of the Canaries
c. 1424 - 1503
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Pedro de Vera Mendoza
Governor and captain in the conquest of Gran Canaria
c. 1430 - c. 1505
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Cristóbal Colón
Genoese navigator
1451 - 1506
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Alonso Fernández de Lugo
Castilian conqueror
c. 1456 - 1525
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Pedro Fernández de Lugo
Second adelantado of the Canaries
c. 1476 - 1536
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Guillén Peraza de Ayala
First Count of La Gomera
c. 1484 - 1565
Meet figures16th Century
Showing 11 figures.
Beatriz de Bobadilla
Lady of La Gomera
c. 1460s - c. 1504
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Alonso Luis Fernández de Lugo
Third adelantado of the Canaries
c. 1506 - 1556
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Luis de la Cueva y Benavides
First Captain General of the Canaries
1528 - 1598
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Fray José de Anchieta
Jesuit missionary and saint
1534 - 1597
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Agustín de Herrera y Rojas
Marquis of Lanzarote
c. 1537 - 1598
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Bartolomé Cairasco de Figueroa
Canon and poet
1538 - 1610
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Fray Alonso de Espinosa
Friar and historian
c. 1543 - c. 1600
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Gonzalo Argote de Molina
Genealogist and historian
1548 - 1596
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Leonardo Torriani
Military engineer and cartographer
1559 - 1628
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Próspero de Casola
Military engineer
1565 - 1647
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Antonio de Viana
Physician and poet
1578 - c. 1650
Meet figures17th Century
Showing 2 figures.
18th Century
Showing 5 figures.
José de Viera y Clavijo
Enlightenment historian and naturalist
1731 - 1813
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Tomás de Iriarte
Neoclassical poet and fabulist
1750 - 1791
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María del Carmen Betancourt
Inventor and scientist
1758 - 1824
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José Murphy
Politician
1774 - 1841
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Sabin Berthelot
Naturalist
1794 - 1880
Meet figures19th Century
Showing 26 figures.
Agustín Millares Torres
Historian, Musician
1826 - 1896
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Nicolás Estévanez Murphy
Republican politician
1838 - 1914
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Fernando León y Castillo
Politician and diplomat
1842 - 1918
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Benito Pérez Galdós
Novelist, playwright and politician
1843 - 1920
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Fermín Cedrés Hernández
Musician, composer and conductor
1844 - 1927
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Cesarina Bento
Writer
1844 - 1910
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Juan Bethencourt Alfonso
Anthropologist and Historian
1847 - 1913
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Teobaldo Power
Composer and pianist
1848 - 1884
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Santiago Tejera Ossavarry
Regionalist composer
1852 - 1936
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Luis Morote
Journalist, Politician
1862 - 1913
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Secundino Delgado
Canarian nationalist and journalist
1867 - 1912
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Ángel Guerra / José Betancort Cabrera
Writer, politician
1874 - 1950
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Blas Cabrera Felipe
Physicist
1878 - 1945
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Mercedes Pinto
Writing / activism
1883 - 1976
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Tomás Morales
Poetry
1884 - 1921
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Saulo Torón
Poetry
1885 - 1974
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Alonso Quesada
Modernist poet
1886 - 1925
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Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre
Painter, scenographer
1887 - 1938
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Juan Reyes Bartlet
Band director and composer
1889 - 1967
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Valentina Hernández «La de Sabinosa»
Folk singer and cultural figure
c. 1889/1891 - 1976
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Juan Negrín
Physician, physiologist and politician
1892 - 1956
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Agustín Millares Carlo
Paleographer, Historian
1893 - 1980
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Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre
Canarian architect
1894 - 1980
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José Aguiar
Mural Painter
1895 - 1976
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Agustín Espinosa
Poet
1897 - 1939
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Manuel Bonnín Guerín
Classical composer
1898 - 1993
Meet figures20th Century
Showing 110 figures.
Eduardo Westerdahl
Art Critic and Vanguardist
1902 - 1983
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Dulce María Loynaz
Writer
1902 - 1997
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Emeterio Gutiérrez Albelo
Poetry
1904 - 1969
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José Castellano Santana
Popular actor who embodied Pepe Monagas
1904 - 1967
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Pedro García Cabrera
Poet of the Generation of '27
1905 - 1981
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Elfidio Alonso Rodríguez
Journalist, Republican deputy and exile
1905 - 2001
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Óscar Domínguez
Surrealist painter
1906 - 1957
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Néstor Álamo Hernández
Composer, writer, journalist and cultural researcher
1906 - 1994
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Josefina de la Torre
Poetry / theater / cinema
1907 - 2002
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Juan Ismael
Painter, poet and avant-garde artist
1907 - 1981
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Luis Diego Cuscoy
Archaeologist
1907 - 1987
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Pancho Guerra
Literature / costumbrismo
1909 - 1961
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María Rosa Alonso
Philology / essay
1909 - 2011
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Domingo López Torres
Poetry / avant-garde
1910 - 1937
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Felo Monzón
Painter, art educator
1910 - 1989
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Antonio Rumeu de Armas
Historian
1912 - 2006
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José Miguel Alzola
Historical researcher and cultural administrator
1913
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Telesforo Bravo
Geologist and Paleontologist
1913 - 2002
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José Miguel Galván Bello
Tenerife politician and president of the Cabildo de Tenerife
1913 - 1990
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Juan Régulo Pérez
Philologist and Publisher
1914
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Plácido Fleitas
Sculptor
1915 - 1972
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Pino Ojeda
Poetry / art
1916 - 2002
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Carmen Arozena Rodríguez
Painter, printmaker, illustrator, and teacher
1917
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Antonio González González
Chemist
1917 - 2002
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Juan Quintero
Singer and founder of Los Campesinos
1918 - 2012
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Carlos Chevilly de los Ríos
Painter and teacher
1918 - 1978
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César Manrique
Visual artist and landscape activist
1919 - 1992
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Antonio Padrón Rodríguez
Painter and teacher
1920 - 1968
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Isaac de Vega
Writer
1920 - 2014
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Lola Massieu
Painter
1921 - 2007
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Carlos Pinto Grote
Poet and psychiatrist
1923 - 2015
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Rafael Arozarena
Writer
1923 - 2009
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Francisco Morales Padrón
Historian of the Americas
1924 - 2010
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Enrique González Bethencourt
Founder of NiFú-NiFá
1924 - 2010
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Martín Chirino
Sculptor
1925 - 2019
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Luis Cobiella Cuevas
Composer and cultural figure
1925 - 2013
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María Mérida
Canarian folk singer
1925 - 2022
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Manolo Millares
Abstract artist
1926 - 1972
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Fernando “Nanino” Díaz Cutillas
Canarian folklore broadcaster and promoter
1927 - 1988
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Luis Feria
Poet
1927 - 1998
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Fernando Sagaseta
Politician and lawyer
1927 - 1993
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Pedro González
Painter and political figure
1927 - 2023
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Juan Hidalgo Codorniu
Composer and experimental artist
1927 - 2018
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Alfredo Kraus
International tenor
1927 - 1999
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Jane Millares
Painter
1928 - 2022
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Tony Gallardo
Sculptor
1929 - 1996
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Antonio Cubillo
Political leader and independence activist
1930 - 2012
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Pedro González Lino «Perico Lino»
Co-founder of Los Gofiones, folklorist
1931 - 2018
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Manuel Bethencourt Santana
Sculptor
1931 - 2012
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Cristino de Vera
Painter
1931 - 2026
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Lorenzo Olarte Cullen
Politician
1932 - 2024
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Fernando Ramírez Suárez
Poet, journalist and illustrator
1932 - 2010
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Pepe Dámaso
Artist
1933 - Present
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Mary Sánchez
Popular Music Singer
1934 - 2016
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Manuel Hermoso Rojas
Politician
1935 - 2025
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Elfidio Alonso Quintero
Musician, journalist and politician
1935 - Present
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Juan José Falcón Sanabria
Composer and music teacher
1936 - 2015
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Orlando Hernández Martín
Literature / theater
1936 - 1997
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Jerónimo Saavedra
Politician
1936 - 2023
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Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa
Novelist and Journalist
1936 - Present
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Manuel Monzón Mingorance
Founder of Los Rumberos
1937 - 2011
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Yolanda Arencibia
Researcher, Galdós scholar
1939 - 2025
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Efrén Casañas Rodríguez
Guitarist and composer
1941 - 1986
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Lothar Siemens Hernández
Musicologist and composer
1941 - 2017
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Pepe Abad
Artist
1942 - 2025
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Juan Guedes
UD Las Palmas footballer
1942 - 1971
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Elsa López
Writer
1943 - Present
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Tonono Afonso
UD Las Palmas legend
1943 - 1975
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Adán Martín
Politician, Engineer
1943 - 2010
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Germán Dévora
UD Las Palmas legend
1943 - Present
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Manuel Luis Medina “El Minuto”
Popular folk singer
c. 1944/1945 - 2007
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Balbina Rivero
Writer
1944
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Ildefonso Aguilar de la Rúa
Artist and Photographer
1945 - Present
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Cecilia Domínguez Luis
Poet and Writer
1948 - Present
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Juan Manuel García Ramos
Writer, literary critic
1949 - Present
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Caco Senante
Singer
1949
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Carmelo Cabrera Domínguez
Olympic basketball player
1950 - Present
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José Antonio Luján Henríquez
Official chronicler of Artenara and writer
1950 - 2025
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Gonzalo González González
Visual artist
1950 - Present
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Andrés Sánchez Robayna
Poet and essayist
1952 - 2025
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José Manuel González Mena «Manolo Mena»
Tenor singer and soloist with Los Sabandeños
1952 - 2009
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Sabas Martín
Writer and Journalist
1954 - Present
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José Luis Doreste Blanco
Olympic sailor
1956 - Present
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Félix Francisco Casanova
Poet and Writer
1956 - 1976
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Roberto Molina Carrasco
Olympic sailor
1960 - Present
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Luis Doreste Blanco
Olympic sailor
1961 - Present
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Juan Fernando López Aguilar
Politician, Jurist
1961 - Present
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Domingo Manrique
Olympic sailor
1962 - Present
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Patricia Guerra Cabrera
Olympic sailor
1965 - Present
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Javier Bardem
International actor
1969 - Present
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Víctor Álamo de la Rosa
Writer
1969 - Present
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José Antonio Ramos
Timple player and musical innovator
1969 - 2008
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Alexis Ravelo
Writer, noir novelist
1971 - 2023
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Juan Carlos Valerón
International attacking midfielder
1975 - Present
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Manuel Pablo García
International full-back
1976 - Present
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Ana Belén Hormiga Amador
Writer and teacher
1976
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Magüi Serna
Athlete
1979 - Present
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Paola Tirados
Olympic synchronised swimming medallist
1980 - Present
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David Marrero
Doubles tennis player
1980 - Present
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Ángel López Ruano
International footballer
1981 - Present
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Rubén Castro
Historic striker
1981 - Present
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Thaïs Henríquez
Olympic synchronised swimming medallist
1982 - Present
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David Silva
International footballer
1986 - Present
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Sergio Rodríguez “El Chacho”
International point guard
1986 - Present
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Nicolás García Hemme
Olympic taekwondo athlete
1988 - Present
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Carla Suárez Navarro
International tennis player
1988 - Present
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Dacio Ferrera
Canarian folk singer
siglo XX
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Luis “Totoyo” Millares
Timple master
20th–21st century
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Manolo Vieira
Comedian and stage performer
2023
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Manuel Negrín «Pololo»
Co-author of "Vivo en un archipiélago"
Fecha no localizada
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