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I would like to thank both the Canarias Photo Gallery and Tullio Gatti for permission to use his photographs. To see
more photos of the Canary Islands taken by the world renown Tullio Gatti, please click on the
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"Antiquity called them, because of the fertility of their soil and sky, Fortunate Islands; And so friendly towards them was heaven
That without any labouring, the earth yielded wonderful fruits And the uncultivated vines offered their tribute.
It was said that olive trees always flowered, And sweet honey dripped from the stones, And with a soft rumour
lively waters hurried down the steep mountainside; A summery warmth mellowed the air, so that pleasure reigned, And lastly,
because of their temperateness, Laurels and palms, they were the Elysium of the souls. "
El Arco de la Fama, by the Canarian poet Cairasco

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I am fortunate to have been born in the "Fortunate Islands." This is the name that Homer, Horace, Italicus, Pliny and a host of other classical writers gave to the Canary Islands since earliest times. Diodorous of Sicily referred to us as the Garden of the Hesperides. Virgil waxes luminous in his description: "Their sky is purer and brighter than ours, so that the fields are bathed in a purple light." And the poet Luciano excites rapture when he describes that the "Spring dwells forever in the fields of the Fortunate Islands, and only the pleasant zephyr blows there. And in truth, that land is always green and flowers grow in thick clusters, and plants are neither coarse nor dark."

While visiting Orotava Valley on the island of Tenerife, the famous naturalist Hurnboldt described with fascination what he saw:

"In my visits to tropical lands, I have encountered places where nature is more majestic and richer in its growth; but after the banks of the Orinoco, the mountain ranges of Peru and the lovely Mexican valleys, I must admit that I have never seen a picture as variegated, harmonious and attractive as that offered in the Orotava Valley by the striking contrast between the greenery of vegetation and masses of rock."

The Canaries are made up of 7 islands and 6 islets that form an archipelago 70 miles off the coast of Western Sahara. Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro are located at 4 degrees from the Tropic of Cancer. This sub-tropical location is "fortunate" in that it allows the climate to caress these islands with almost perennial sun and gentle breezes. The temperature in the Canaries is always mild, with the average being 22.3 degrees Celsius.

No matter what you have heard from Tweety, the Canaries were not named after that much- marketed bird, nor his ornithological brethren. Some researchers say that the Canaries received their name from the "canarii" tribe who inhabited the island of Gran Canaria. During their historic defense of their islands during the 15th Century, the Spanish began to refer to the islands as the "Islands of Canaria." Another school insists that the islands got their name from the fierce dogs (cams) found on some of the islands. We'll let the archaeologists, anthropologists and historians wrestle with this issue.

The origins of the Guanche people of Tenerife are still unsettled. Exotic theories abound, but the most widely accepted is that the people of the Canaries are related to the Berbers of North Africa. The Guanche men were described as being tall, somewhere between 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet 2 inches. Early explorers also described the Guanche people as having "clear, rosy skins; fair hair . . . and blue eyes." They were also powerfully built.

". . . You will not find anywhere people more handsome or graceful than these islanders, both men and women . . .'" wrote Fathers Bontier and Le Verrier, historians who accompanied Juan de Bethencourt on his expeditions.

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In the year of "their" Castilian Lord 1402, Spain initiated its attack on Lanzarote . It ended in 1492 with the conquest of Tenerife. Ninety years of attacks against the islands; ninety years of frustration for the Spanish Crown. They had failed to realize how bold, sturdy and resilient the islanders were. The Guanche were not going down without a fight. As one writer has described: "The Canarians were of a quite a different mettle; the mere thought of slavery repelled these people, who were infinitely proud of their rights. The Mexican thought the Spaniards were gods, but the Guanches saw them as men and, as such, found much to despise in their behaviour."

Juan de Bethencourt was the first conquerer of the Canary Islands. On February 27th, 1404, the people of Lanzarote surrendered. Fuerteventura fell to Bethencourt in 1408, with Hierro falling shortly after. Bethencourt's attempt at conquering the Island of Gomera failed. The natives of the island were too strong. Gomera actually became a part of Spain, more through trade and contact than "armed intervention." The rest of the archipelago fell in due time.

The Guanche enjoyed their freedom. When the Spanish invaded, the Guanche fought for that freedom. Many are the tales of the Mencey (Kings) who, rather than losing their freedom to the new invaders, committed suicide instead. Vacaguare! (I prefer to die!) was taken literally.

On August 13, 1993, Tenerife sculptor Jose Abad unveiled his great tribute to the Canarian people: "The Nine Guanche Menceyes." Financed by the Island Government of Tenerife, these 9 bronze sculptures overlook the plaza of the Town of Candelaria on the Island of Tenerife. In tribute to my people, and in honor of the supreme efforts of the Mencey to save us from the invaders, I bow my head in tribute and list their names:

The Canary Islands Today

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The Canary Islands has its own autonomous government and parliament. One of our major concerns is tourism. Referring to the 1995 Act for Tourism in the Canary Islands, Jose Miguel Bravo de Laguna, 1997 President of the Canarian Parliament elucidates: "The (Act) expressly alluded to the protection of the environment and the conservation of nature, landscape and culture in the Canary Islands inasmuch as they are objects of attraction and resources for tourism." This is a common sense admission that tourism is our "daily bread."

The Canaries are in a privileged position. It stands at the crossroads of three continents: America, Europe and Africa. It is a first class tourist destination for Europeans, South Americans and, now. North Americans and Canadians. De Laguna recognizes this, but continues: "We must compulsorily flee from the identification of tourism as an insatiable monster that devours resources and that conditions our future as the price to pay for a placid present."

We have inherited from the Guanches our cultural pride, honor and a zest for freedom. This pride is evident in the care that the Canarian Government and its people have taken in attempting to preserve its heritage.

We look forward to our future with much hope.

Katiuska Hanohano