Fuerteventura History & Interesting facts!

(By Bernie Power, Tindaya Arms) - Oct 08 - up-dated regularly...

THE TINDAYA ARMS

Tindaya village is on the main road between Corralejo and Puerto del Rosario, near to La Oliva. It is names after the volcano of the same name. The oldest in all the Canary Islands, estimated to be 20 million years old. It was once the centre of the old religion and has both a fascinating and strange past.

Although not developed for tourism, there are many sites to discover around the village. It's a great place to visit and when you get there you should drop into the Tindaya Arms; a local bar that is quite a museum and a souvenir shop as well. Karen and Bernie will tell you all about the village and its history. Good food and cold drinks are available and you can relax in view of the mountain. There is a massive beach nearby and you can even get dropped off and collected later.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12 noon until late...

Most Friday and Saturday nights they host bingo in Spanish, the only dinosaur races in the island and quizzes you won't win!

Once a month they have a special Sunday roast (or barbecue). Daily menus include Fell Welsh Breakfasts, terrific Burgers and home-made, freshly baked pizza! (Take-a-way also available.) Make a night of it without the worry of driving; Bed & Breakfast is available just up the road at a very reasonable rate.

Call them to find out exactly what's on this month! 0034 928 865595

Directions to Tindaya Arms: From La Oliva village, towards Puerto del Rosario, take the first turning on the right....take a left at Bar Maria on the left....200 meters on the left. From Puerto del Rosario towards La Oliva village, take the fist left turn to Tindaya...continue along the road until you reach Tindaya Arms on the right.

THE GAUNCHES

'The Gaunches' was the term applied to all Canary Islanders after the conquest of the 14th & 15th Centuries. It derives from Achinet or Guanchinet, meaning Person-Guan...

Fuerteventura people were the Majoreros; a type of goat skin shoe! Or, the more popular 'Mejoreros' - the best!

The island was reasonably isolated from the others until the invasion of Europeans in the 14th Century. The first contact with the Europeans was in 1341 when Niccolosso da Recco first reported the island and commented on the the language in Tenerife.

The Roman writer Pliny mentions the expedition of King Jubla of Mauritania in 50 BC as having seen the ruins of great buildings but no sign of civilization, so maybe somebody came and went before the Gaunches, who are thought to have arrived around 500 BC.

Women were highly respected in the Gaunche society and for an armed man to insult a woman was a capital offence, punishable by death!

The Numidians, Carthaginians and Phoenicians all knew of the islands and were frequent visitors. The Romans visited between the 1st and 4th Centuries as they occupied north Africa.

Roman artefects have been found in Lanzarotte but most of the island was covered in the 1700s by the volcanic eruptions of Timanfaya.

A BRIEF RECENT HISTORY

Apart from Arab slavers frequently attacking, the islands were isolated from Europe until 1402 when Juan de Bethencourt and Gadifer De La Salle invaded.

They were Norman French pirates who were employed by the Kingdom of Castille to take the islands for the Crown.

They attacked and defeated the peoples of Lanzarotte and Bethencourt went to Spain to report their success. Left in charge, De La Salle caused civil war amongst his French soldiers and caused the slaughter of many locals. He went on to 'conquer' the island of Fuerteventura, killing many, many more (almost stone-age) people.

Bethencourt returned in 1404 and brought reinforcements and supplies. Together, they founded the city of Betancuria in 1405. Bethencourt was named as King of the Canaries by Henry III of Castille and De La salle felt badly rewarded and insulted. He left for France never to return. The island quickly began to settle and became Spanish speaking.

Eventually, Jean De Bethencourt left, also for France and he left his nephew in control. It was inherited by the Herrera Perazas and was subjected to corruption, injustice, nepotism and unfair taxation for the next 300 years.

Due to its feudal lordship governments, high taxes, barren landscape and lack of water, it lost out to the boom to affect Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

In 1708, the regime of the hereditary militia was created, led by the Colonels. They built their base in La Oliva and the main house is still to be seen. They ruled as they willed and even arranged marriages to help maintain their power for more than 100 years.

The Capital moved in 1808 to Antigua and following a period of conflict between the North and the South which abolished the feudal system, the Capital moved again in 1835 to Puerto de Cabras (Port of the Goats). It was renamed without consultation in 1959 to Puerto del Rosario (Port of the Rosary).

TINDAYA MOUNTAIN

Tindaya mountain was formed some 20 million years ago and was the first volcanic formation in the Canarian archipelago. Reaching 410 metres, it has suffered little from erosion. During its extremely long life it has seen many changes, mainly climatic, since the islands were once quite lush and fertile. There are even fossils of an extinct bee found only in this area and a part of Patagonia, South America!

The Gaunches (as the aboriginal inhabitants were named) revered the mountain as a holy site and it figured in their religious rituals. It is thought to be the resting place of the spirits of Tibiaban and Tamonante, high priestesses of their old religion.

From the peak you may see Mount Teide on Tenerife; this was thought to be where hell was, called Echeyde. Their culture was Neolithic/Stone Age and they had a hard but simple life for approximately 2000 years. They held ceremonies on its summit and left carvings on the rocks.

Apart from these feet carvings (Podomorphs) there is little else that remains. It is necessary to get a permit from the Ayuntamiento in La Oliva before climbing the mountain. On a walking trip around its base you will find the remains of the agriculture that used to sustain the village.