History of Tenerife

Early History

The first recorded ruler was a Mencey or king of the Guanches of Tenerife who governed a territory or menceyato he was also known as Tinerfe the Great, son of Mencey Sunt. Tinerfe held court at Adeje from where the whole island was ruled but after his death his nine children rebelled and the island was divided into nine menceyatos and two independent achimenceyatos or captaincies named by the Europeans stationed there.

The menceyatos and Menceyes were the following The Taoro currently Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, La Victoria de Acentejo, La Matanza de Acentejo, Los Realejos and its Santa Ursula Menceyes were Bentinerfe, Inmobach, Bencomo and Bentor, The Güímar: currently El Rosario, Candelaria, and Arafo GUímar and Menceyes were Acaymo, Anaterve and Gueton, The Fertilizer: Tegueste, Granadilla de Abona, San Miguel de Abona, Arona and Menceyes were Atguaxona and Adxona or Adjona.

Continuing The Anaga Santa Cruz and San Cristobal de La Laguna the area of the lake itself and its Menceyes were Beneharo and Beneharo II, The Tegueste: Tegueste part of the coastal area of La Laguna and the plain of Lagunera with the Menceyes Tegueste and Teguaco Tegueste II.The Tacoronte: Tacoronte and El Sauzal and Menceyes were Rumen and Acaymo. The Icod: San Juan de la Rambla, La Guancha, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos and Menceyes were Chincanayro and Pelican.

The Daute El Tanque, Los Silos, Buenavista and Santiago del Teide and Menceyes were Cocanaymo and Romena and finally The Adeje: Guía de Isora, Adeje and Vilaflor and Menceyes were Atbitocazpe, Pelinor and Ichasagua.

Punta del Hidalgo Achimenceyato was governed by Aguahuco the “Hidalgo” or poor illegitimate son of Major Tinerfe and Zebenzui.

Conquest of the Canary Islands

In December 1493, Alonso Fernandez de Lugo was the appointed King of The  Catholic and confirming their rights through the conquest of the island of Tenerife. He had earlier landed a body of troops from Gran Canaria on the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The troops landed on the Peninsula and The Canary Island of Gomera and Gran Canaria. His army was composed of two thousand men on foot and 200 on horseback. His first task was establishing a fort, before he ventured inland.

The Menceyes of Tenerife had taken up different positions at the time of the conquest camps divided in those that wanted peace and those that wanted war.

The first menceyatos was Anaga, Güímar, Abona and Adeje, and the second Tegueste, Tacoronte Taoro, Icod and Daute. The side faced staunch opposition to the Spanish conquest of Tenerife lasting for two years and the Spanish troops suffered a defeat at the hands of the Guanches in the First Battle of Acentejo in 1494.

However, the Guanches beaten by new technology and struck down by new diseases to which they were not immune, fell against the troops of the Crown of Castile in the Battle of Aguero and the Second Battle of the conquest Acentejo in September 1496.

Many the Aboriginal islanders were enslaved, especially those belonging to the side of wanting the war war and much of the indigenous population succumbed to imported diseases such as influenza, smallpox and other infectious diseases for which Neolithic society due to their isolation had no immunity against.

After the conquest and during the following century the island became more populated and colonization took place with the arrival of immigrants from various territories belonging to the emerging Spanish Empire Portugal, Flanders, Italy and Germany.

The Tenerife forests were affected by population growth and land clearing for farming, and the introduction of sugarcane in the early sixteenth century, while in later centuries, the island’s economy centred on the cultivation of grapes, cochineal for making dyes, and bananas.