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Reconstruction of a Guanche settlement of Tenerife (Wouter Hagens/ CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Fan Pyramid of Tenerife, A Guanche Stone Solstice Marker

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A peculiar pyramid with a ‘fan structure’ stands as an ancient stone solstice marker in Icod de los Vinos, a municipality on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Spain). The precolonial inhabitants of Tenerife came to be known as the Guanches, sharing common origins with the Berbers of the North African coastline, probably the northern Africa Amazigh clans, mainly from Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Libya. It is believed that they arrived on the archipelago some time during the first millennium BC.

Guanche kings of Tenerife surrendering to Alonso Fernández de Lugo. (Public Domain)

Guanche kings of Tenerife surrendering to Alonso Fernández de Lugo. (Public Domain)

Icod de los Vinos

The Municipality of Icod de los Vinos was one of the nine Guanche territories, before the Spanish conquest, which came to an end in Northwest Tenerife, Canary islands, in 1496.  The Guanche name for the region, Benicode means "place of the black, or burned, stones” and refers to the abundant lava fields and black sands of the region which houses a very valuable archaeological, ethnographic, cultural and natural heritage. From its caves, such as the Cho Gaspar, abundant aboriginal material has been recovered (charcoal, wood, pottery shards, bones and skeletons) dating from the eighth century BC, comprising some of the oldest artifacts from the archipelago.

Location of the Icod de Los Vinos Municipality on Tenerife (Júlio Reis/CC BY-SA 3.0)

Location of the Icod de Los Vinos Municipality on Tenerife (Júlio Reis/CC BY-SA 3.0)

In addition, there are important petroglyph sites, solstice markers, and also stepped pyramids. Although not as well-known as the very famous pyramids of Güimar, or Chacona, the northern municipality is home to a good handful of them. The first ones came to the fore due to the great Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdhal, who with the help of his friend Fred Olsen, would turn them into an ethnographic park, a great cultural attraction for the island and a powerful magnet for thousands of tourists.

One of the pyramids of Güímar (Image: Colin Moss)

One of the pyramids of Güímar (Image: Colin Moss)

Step Pyramids of Güimar

Much has been written about Tenerife’s step pyramids origin and function, a subject widely debated, since three astrophysicists from the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC, C. Esteban, J. A. Belmonte and A. Aparicio) back in 1991 considered them “an astronomically orientated pyramid complex”. In their extensive study they also demonstrated that the Güimar pyramids can be used to determine the date of the summer solstice with very high precision, in addition to the winter solstice.

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Gustavo Sánchez Romero holds a M.Sc. in Museum Science and Cultural Management from la Laguna University, Tenerife and he completed a course on Canarian Archaeology, Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Driven by this profound interest in the Guanches, he has been exploring many “off the beaten track” archaeological sites on the island, specializing in the step pyramids that can be found in many corners of the Canaries.

Top Image: Reconstruction of a Guanche settlement of Tenerife (Wouter Hagens/ CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Gustavo Sánchez Romero

 

Gustavo

Gustavo Sánchez Romero was born on Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, in November 1972. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology (minor in Geology) from Western Michigan University, USA, 1994. He also holds a M.Sc. in Museum Science and... Read More

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