Historical Figures
On 1 September 1730, between nine and ten at night, the ground suddenly opened near Timanfaya, two leagues from Yaiza, beginning one of the longest eruptions documented in the history of the Canary Islands. The eruption lasted until 16 April 1736 — five years, seven months and sixteen days — and covered about 200 km² of western Lanzarote with lava and ash. The destruction of farmland, pasture and water catchment systems caused a mass exodus and left the island almost depopulated for several years; much livestock died of hunger or from inhaling toxic gases. The account of the priest of Yaiza, Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, is one of the most detailed eruption chronicles of the eighteenth century.