Guanche world
An entry route into the pre-Hispanic past through already published archaeological, linguistic and cultural articles.
The Guanche world
Language, archaeology, foodways, names and memory of Indigenous Canarian societies.
Articles to follow
The Guanche Language: Clues to a Lost Tongue
The extinct Guanche language reveals its North African roots and agglutinative structure through surviving words and names. Explore how Guanche speech connects us to the ancient history of the Canary Islands.
Gofio, Tabaiba and Tenique: Amazigh Words Surviving in Canarian Spanish
Explore the Amazigh origins of everyday Canarian words like gofio, tabaiba, and tenique, and how these terms have endured through the centuries.
Guanche Cave Dwellings: Archaeology of an Ancestral Home
Caves were the primary dwellings of the Guanches in Tenerife, chosen for their habitability and proximity to resources. Archaeology uncovers how these spaces reflect daily life and the evolution of aboriginal society.
Reconstructing Guanche Diets: Insights from Mummy Analysis
Bioanthropological studies of Guanche mummies reveal a diet rich in meat, with limited plant and marine foods, shedding light on their lifestyle and social structure.
Timeline milestones
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Key terms
Guanche A term used strictly for the Indigenous population of Tenerife and broadly for the ancient inhabitants of the Canary Islands. Benahoarita Name associated with the Indigenous population of La Palma, an island known in sources as Benahoare. Menceyato An Indigenous political unit of Tenerife ruled by a mencey before the Castilian conquest. Amazigh Name used for North African peoples and languages linked to the Indigenous settlement of the Canary Islands. Gofio Flour made from toasted and ground cereals, with pre-Hispanic roots and a strong place in Canarian food and identity. Gánigo A clay vessel associated with Indigenous Canarian material culture and recorded within traditional vocabulary. Libyco-Berber alphabet A sign system documented in Canarian rock inscriptions and related to North African graphic traditions.
Linked sources
- José Manuel G. y García de la Torre — Leyendas guanches de las Islas Canarias (Primera recopilación) (1969)View bibliographic record
- Rafael González Antón, Conrado Rodríguez Martín, Fernando Estévez González — Bioantropología de las Momias Guanches (1992)View bibliographic record
- Ignacio Reyes García — Insulismos amazighes en el español de Canarias (2003)View bibliographic record
- M. del Carmen del Arco Aguilar, Rafael González Antón et al. — Los Guanches desde la ArqueologíaView bibliographic record