Culture & history
The Guanches and their history, the Cueva Pintada, the Güímar pyramids, cochineal, Nelson's attack on Santa Cruz, the silbo whistled language, the timple, traditional sports, Canarian Spanish and legends like San Borondón.
The Cueva Pintada and the ancient Canarians
In Gáldar, in the north of Gran Canaria, there is a room whose walls are covered in red and white triangles, circles and squares. We can measure it, but we can't read it. Here is what we know for sure about the painted cave, what is still open, and how you can visit it.
The timple: the Canary Islands' little guitar
Today the timple is the sound of the Canary Islands, yet it has only been built on a regular basis since the mid 20th century. Its name is much older. Here is what we know for sure about the little guitar, what is still open, and where to hear and see it on Lanzarote.
The pyramids of Güímar: what we know and what is still a mystery
In Güímar, on Tenerife's east side, stand stepped stone pyramids that have been argued over for decades. The excavation dates them to the 19th century, yet astronomers measured that they face the solstices. Here is what we know for sure, what is still open and how to visit them.
Culture in the Canary Islands: opera, theatre and museums island by island
Many people think the Canary Islands are just beaches and sunshine. Yet there are two symphony orchestras, two opera seasons, concert halls and museums by world-famous architects, and in winter a classical music festival reaches all eight islands, La Graciosa included.
The Guanche statues of Tenerife: a seven-stop route in bronze
From Adeje to Candelaria, seven bronze statues tell the Guanche story of Tenerife. One you can only see from the car, another ended up in court, and the nine most famous have spent more than a year in a warehouse. Where they are, and what lies behind each one.
Cochineal: the insect that was 90 per cent of what these islands sold
Twenty one years of boom, 1845 to 1866, and an ending that started at a London exhibition. What cochineal is, why it makes sense again, and what you see today.
Canarian lighthouses, and the one that marked the end of the world
The western edge of the known world sat on an El Hierro headland for seventeen centuries. The lighthouse came three generations ago, and the others map the hazards.
The night Nelson lost his arm in Santa Cruz
Four days of assault, an unusually courteous surrender and a cannon the city credits with the shot. We separate the documented from the retold.
Traditional Canarian sports: what you are actually watching
Stay at a village fiesta long enough and you will end up in front of a circle of sand with two men gripping each other by the trousers, and nobody will explain a thing. Here is what you are looking at.