 The Guanches although now extinct were the first known inhabitants of the Fortunate (Canary) Islands. The whistling language still practised in La Gomera today is thought to have derived from the Guanches. The term Guanchos was translated as man (Guan) of Tenerife (Chinet). The Guanches had arrived by sea and brought with them domestic animals such as goats, sheep, pigs and dogs. There is some mystery surrounding these early inhabitants, it seems that they Guanches were land lovers, they did not sail, how is it then that they settled on the different islands? It has been suggested that maybe the Guanches were shepherds brought here by sailors. Mount Teide in Tenerife is visible from the coast of Africa on a clear day. The Guanches according to the European arrivals later were described as a beautiful white tall race with blonde hair. Some of the Guanches died resisting invasion from Europeans and others from the diseases these travellers brought to the islands as they had little immunity from foreign germs. It is thought that the Guanches were from originally from Northern Africa, Berbers seem their most probable ancestors. The Guanches embalm their dead, many mummies remains have been found in caves but the process seems to differ between islands The Spanish conquest began in 1402 with Jean de Béthencourt on the island of Lanzarote, the aborigines faced with starvation succumbed to the Castilian rule. The Guanches in Tenerife only had stones and spears for weapons but they fought the Castilians in 1494 successfully, only to be defeated in 1496. More information about the Guanches can be found in English on the following website:
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