Who were the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands?

The original inhabitants of the Canaries were the Guanches (see Guanche and Canario); now assimilated into the general population, they were a Berber people who were conquered by the Spanish in the 15th century. The Romans learned of the Canaries through Juba II, king of Mauritania, whose account of an expedition (c.



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Tall, blond and blue-eyed, the Guanches have long intrigued the anthropologists, for blond natives are rarity. According to the reliable Encyclopedia Britannica, the Guanches are thought to have been of Cro-Magnon origin... and had a brown complexion, blue or gray eyes, and blondish hair.

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The Canary Islands (/k?'n??ri/; Spanish: Canarias, pronounced [ka'na?jas]), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco.

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History: Created by a volcano 10 millions years ago, Tenerife was originally inhabited by the Guanches, which were a cavern tribe originally from African. Until the arrival of the Spaniards the Guanches had been living in peace with their prehistoric customs and culture.

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Geographically the islands are part of the African continent but from a historical, economical, political and socio-cultural point of view, the Canarias are completely European.

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The tributo de sangre ended in 1764, but poverty and overpopulation in the Canary Islands still caused many Canarians to immigrate to Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America.

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The Canary Islands were conquered by Spain more than five centuries ago and are culturally European. They are proud of their Guanche heritage but feel it as their own distinct native roots, not as related to Berbers or North Africa.

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Strictly speaking, the Guanches were the indigenous peoples of Tenerife.

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