Living Glossary
Terms for reading Canarian history, culture, territory and language in context.
A
9Achamán
Name associated with a supreme divinity in the Indigenous religious tradition of Tenerife.
Open termAchinech
Traditional name attributed to Tenerife in sources and usages linked to the island’s Indigenous world.
Open termAcorán
Main divinity of the ancient Canarians of Gran Canaria in ethnohistorical sources.
Open termAculturación
Cultural transformation resulting from unequal contact between Indigenous people, conquerors and settlers.
Open termAdelantado
A military and political office used in Castilian expansion and linked to conquest and territorial government.
Open termAgáldar
Indigenous centre of Gran Canaria associated with the political power of Gáldar before and during the conquest.
Open termAlisio
Dominant north-easterly wind that shapes climate, navigation, agriculture and landscape in the Canaries.
Open termAlmogarén
Indigenous ritual space, generally associated with religious practices, offerings or worship.
Open termAmazigh
Name used for North African peoples and languages linked to the Indigenous settlement of the Canary Islands.
Open termB
6Baifo
A Canarian word for a young goat, linked to pastoral vocabulary and the islands’ livestock economy.
Open termBarranco
Deep incision in volcanic relief, essential for understanding settlement, water and communications.
Open termBarrilla
Plant used to produce soda ash, relevant in the export economy of some islands.
Open termBenahoarita
Name associated with the Indigenous population of La Palma, an island known in sources as Benahoare.
Open termBimbache / Bimbape
Name applied to the Indigenous population of El Hierro before the European conquest.
Open termBosque termófilo
Transitional vegetation between the basal zone and monteverde, with junipers, palms, wild olives and other species.
Open termC
21Cabildo
An island and local government institution with long historical continuity in the Canaries.
Open termCabildo abierto
Expanded meeting of residents to discuss local or island government matters.
Open termCaldera
Large volcanic or erosive depression present on several islands and central to Canarian geography.
Open termCalima
Saharan dust suspended in the air, reducing visibility and affecting island weather.
Open termCambullón
Informal port trade in goods, strongly associated with Canarian ports in the twentieth century.
Open termCanarianism
A word, turn of phrase or expression characteristic of Spanish as spoken in the Canary Islands, shaped by historical contacts and island usage.
Open termCanario indígena
Specific term for the pre-Hispanic population of Gran Canaria, distinct from the modern general use of “Canarian”.
Open termCantón indígena
Territorial or political division used to describe the internal organisation of some islands before the conquest.
Open termCapitanía General de Canarias
Military and political institution of major importance in the administration of the archipelago.
Open termCardonal-tabaibal
Dry basal-zone plant formation dominated by cardones, tabaibas and other species adapted to aridity.
Open termChácaras
Wooden percussion instruments especially associated with traditional music from La Gomera.
Open termChacho
Very widespread colloquial Canarian form used as a familiar address or interjection.
Open termChaxiraxi
Indigenous religious figure of Tenerife, later reinterpreted in a Christian Marian key.
Open termCochinilla
Insect raised on prickly pears to obtain carmine dye, the basis of an important nineteenth-century economic cycle.
Open termComercio atlántico
Network of exchanges between the Canaries, Europe, Africa and America that shaped the archipelago’s economic history.
Open termConchero
Archaeological deposit made up of shells and other remains from marine consumption.
Open termConquista realenga
Phase of the conquest driven directly by the Castilian Crown in Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife.
Open termConquista señorial
Phase of the conquest carried out by nobles or lords with rights granted by the Crown.
Open termCorreíllo
Steamship used for inter-island maritime communications and for carrying mail and passengers.
Open termCueva de habitación
Natural or adapted cave used as a dwelling by Indigenous and rural populations.
Open termCueva Pintada
Archaeological complex in Gáldar, famous for its geometric paintings and its link to pre-Hispanic Gran Canaria.
Open termD
2E
8Echeyde
Indigenous name traditionally associated with Teide and its symbolic dimension.
Open termEmigración canaria
Departure of islanders to America, Europe or other regions, with strong social and cultural impact.
Open termEnarenado
Agricultural technique that covers soil with volcanic sand or jable to improve cultivation in dry areas.
Open termEnyesque
Small portion of food served as an accompaniment, snack or bite.
Open termEsclavitud indígena
Capture, sale or subjugation of Indigenous people during and after the conquest.
Open termEscribano público
Officer responsible for giving documentary legal validity to acts, sales, wills and agreements.
Open termEstación rupestre
Site or group of places where engravings, inscriptions or other rock expressions are concentrated.
Open termEvangelización
Process of establishing Christianity among Indigenous and colonial populations.
Open termF
3G
12Gadifer de La Salle
French captain who took part in the first phase of the conquest alongside Béthencourt.
Open termGánigo
A clay vessel associated with Indigenous Canarian material culture and recorded within traditional vocabulary.
Open termGavia
Agricultural runoff-capture system characteristic of arid islands such as Fuerteventura.
Open termGofio
Flour made from toasted and ground cereals, with pre-Hispanic roots and a strong place in Canarian food and identity.
Open termGrabado rupestre
Graphic expression made on rock, frequent in different Indigenous sites across the archipelago.
Open termGranero colectivo
Communal grain-storage space, often excavated or adapted in cliffs and caves.
Open termGuagua
A Canarian word for bus, shared with American usage and representative of Atlantic lexical links.
Open termGuanartemato
Indigenous political unit of Gran Canaria ruled by a guanarteme.
Open termGuanarteme
Title of the Indigenous ruler of Gran Canaria, especially associated with the centres of Gáldar and Telde.
Open termGuanche
A term used strictly for the Indigenous population of Tenerife and broadly for the ancient inhabitants of the Canary Islands.
Open termGuatimac
Small Indigenous idol or amulet found in Tenerife, with strong archaeological and symbolic value.
Open termGuayre
Member of the Indigenous elite of Gran Canaria, with noble, military or governing functions according to the sources.
Open termH
1I
5Ídolo de Tara
Archaeological figure from Gran Canaria associated with material culture and Indigenous ritual interpretations.
Open termIGIC
Canarian indirect general tax, the tax applied in the Canary Islands instead of VAT.
Open termIndiano
Emigrant returned from America, often associated with capital, social prestige and new cultural forms.
Open termIngenio azucarero
Facility used to process sugar cane, central to the first Canarian colonial economy.
Open termIsleños de América
Communities of Canarian origin settled in American territories such as Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Uruguay or Louisiana.
Open termJ
3Jable
Light-coloured sand or sandy soil of marine or wind origin, important in agricultural landscapes such as Lanzarote.
Open termJean de Béthencourt
Norman nobleman linked to the beginning of the seigneurial conquest of the Canaries in 1402.
Open termJuego del palo
Traditional stick-fencing practice linked to pastoral and rural worlds.
Open termL
4Laurisilva
A humid subtropical forest of high ecological value, associated with Canarian monteverde.
Open termLe Canarien
French chronicle of the Norman conquest of the Canaries, a key source for the fifteenth century.
Open termLibyco-Berber alphabet
A sign system documented in Canarian rock inscriptions and related to North African graphic traditions.
Open termLucha canaria
Traditional grappling sport with deep popular roots and strong identity value.
Open termM
12Magec
Name related to the sun or a solar divinity in Indigenous Canarian tradition.
Open termMagua
Canarianism expressing sorrow, longing or regret for something lost or unrealised.
Open termMajo / Maho
Name used for the Indigenous populations of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with variants and historiographical debate.
Open termMalpaís
A volcanic landscape of rough lava terrain that is difficult to cross, common on several islands.
Open termMalvasía
Historic Canarian wine, renowned in the Atlantic trade of the Early Modern period.
Open termMayorazgo
Inheritance system that concentrated family assets in a single hereditary line.
Open termMedianías
Intermediate belt between coast and summit, essential to agriculture, settlement and rural landscape.
Open termMencey
Indigenous chief or king of Tenerife, linked to the political organisation of the menceyatos.
Open termMenceyato
An Indigenous political unit of Tenerife ruled by a mencey before the Castilian conquest.
Open termMojo
Characteristic Canarian sauce, with variants such as red, green or coriander mojo.
Open termMomificación
Indigenous funerary practice documented in the Canaries, especially known through preserved mummies from Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
Open termMonteverde
A humid mid-elevation Canarian forest formation that includes laurisilva and fayal-brezal woodland.
Open termN
1O
2P
8Papas arrugadas
Potatoes cooked with salt, a Canarian culinary symbol and common accompaniment to mojo.
Open termPella
Compact mass of gofio kneaded with water, broth, honey or other ingredients.
Open termPicón
Volcanic lapilli traditionally used as an agricultural cover to retain moisture.
Open termPinar canario
Forest dominated by Canarian pine, adapted to fire and widely present on the mountainous islands.
Open termPintadera
Fired-clay stamp characteristic of Gran Canaria, with geometric motifs and possible identity or decorative uses.
Open termPlatanera
Banana plant, a central crop in contemporary Canarian agricultural economy.
Open termPuerto de escala
Historical role of Canarian ports as Atlantic stops for navigation, trade and provisioning.
Open termPuertos francos
Trade regime begun in the nineteenth century that favoured the entry and exit of goods in the Canaries.
Open termR
8Rancho de Ánimas
Traditional religious and musical expression linked to prayers, songs and rituals for the souls.
Open termReal Audiencia de Canarias
Highest judicial institution of the archipelago in the Early Modern period.
Open termRealengo
Condition of territories placed directly under the authority of the Crown.
Open termREF
Canary Islands Economic and Fiscal Regime, a specific framework linked to insularity and remoteness.
Open termRegidor
Municipal or council office within historical cabildos and town councils.
Open termRepartimiento
Distribution of lands, waters and goods after the conquest among conquerors, settlers and institutions.
Open termRoque
Isolated rocky plug or outcrop, frequent in volcanic landscapes and island place names.
Open termRubicón
Southern Lanzarote enclave linked to the conquest, the first stable European settlement and the initial bishopric.
Open termS
5Salto del pastor
Traditional technique for moving through steep terrain using a lance, pole, staff or long stick.
Open termSancocho canario
Traditional dish of salted fish, potatoes, sweet potato, mojo and gofio pella.
Open termSea of clouds
A cloud layer associated with the trade winds that shapes humidity, vegetation and ecological belts on several islands.
Open termSeñorío
Form of jurisdictional rule exercised by a family or lineage over islands and populations.
Open termSilbo
A whistled language especially associated with La Gomera and long-distance communication across steep terrain.
Open termT
9Tabaiba
Common name applied to several euphorbia species characteristic of Canarian landscapes and island vocabulary.
Open termTagoror
Meeting, council or assembly place in Indigenous Canarian societies, especially cited for Tenerife.
Open termTambor gomero
Traditional drum from La Gomera used in romances, dances and island musical expressions.
Open termTenique
A stone from the traditional Canarian hearth; the word survives as a lexical trace linked to older domestic practices.
Open termTifinagh
A long-standing Amazigh writing system, used today as a symbol of identity and cultural revitalisation.
Open termTimple
Small string instrument emblematic of traditional Canarian music.
Open termTomate de exportación
Crop aimed at foreign markets, especially important between the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Open termTrapiche
Mill or mechanism used to press sugar cane in sugar works.
Open termTúmulo
Stone funerary structure associated with Indigenous burials, especially important in Gran Canaria.
Open term