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Guanches

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The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean some to the west of modern Morocco and the North African coast. The islanders spoke the Guanche language, which is believed to have been related to the Berber languages of mainland North Africa; the language became extinct in the 17th century, several generations after the completion of the conquest of the Canary Islands by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.

AI overview

The Guanches were the indigenous people of the Canary Islands who spoke a language related to Berber languages of North Africa before their society was conquered by Spanish Catholic Monarchs. Their story matters because it represents an important but now-extinct culture, with their language disappearing in the 17th century following Spain's conquest of the islands.

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Key facts

Ethnic group.group
Guanches
Ethnic group.image
250px
Ethnic group.caption
Statue of Tegueste at Candelaria, Tenerife
Ethnic group.langs
Guanche (historically)
Ethnic group.religions
Animism (Guanche mythology)
Ethnic group.related
Berbers, Canary Islanders

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Mencey Tegueste.jpg
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Guanche
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Guanches
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Article

28 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Historical background
  • Prehistory
  • Pre-conquest exploration
  • Castilian conquest
  • Language
  • System of beliefs
  • Religion and mythology
  • Aboriginal priests
  • Guatimac
  • Festivities
  • Funerals and mummies
  • Sacrifices
  • Political system
  • Kings (''Menceys'') of Tenerife
  • Clothes and weapons
  • Gallery
  • Genetics
  • Mitochondrial DNA
  • Autosomal DNA
  • Archeological sites
  • Museums
  • New religious movement
  • Notable people
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography and further reading
  • External links

The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean some to the west of modern Morocco and the North African coast. The islanders spoke the Guanche language, which is believed to have been related to the Berber languages of mainland North Africa; the language became extinct in the 17th century, several generations after the completion of the conquest of the Canary Islands by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.

It is believed that the Guanches may have arrived at the archipelago some time in the first millennium BC. The Guanches were the only indigenous people known to have lived in the Macaronesian archipelago region before the arrival of Europeans. There is no accepted evidence that the other Macaronesian archipelagos (the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira and the Azores) were inhabited.

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