Historical Figures
In 1478, during the Castilian conquest of Gran Canaria, Captain Juan Rejón founded the Real de Las Palmas on the right bank of the Guiniguada ravine. This settlement became the nucleus of the future city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a strategic base for Castilian expansion in the Atlantic. It was not the first European settlement in the archipelago —Betancuria in Fuerteventura preceded it in 1404— but it was the principal one on a royal island and played a decisive role in controlling Gran Canaria. In 1515 the town received the title of "Muy Noble Ciudad Real de Las Palmas".