Tenerife

When the Kingdom of Castilla began the conquest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife and the rest of the islands of the archipelago were inhabited by the Guanches. This name was first given to the native inhabitants of Tenerife but it was later used to refer to those on the other islands as well.

The Guanches, who probably originated from the Berbers, spent their lives farming, raising livestock and living in caves. Strangely, it seems that they did not know how to navigate which meant they remained isolated on the islands. During the conquest, the Guanches resisted fiercely but the superior military power of the Spanish finally led to their defeat in 1496. Following the conquest, many of the surviving Guanches were sent as slaves to mainland Spain: the rest adopted the customs and religion of their conquerors.