Aljibes

Lanzarote History

The following pages contain some research on the history of Lanzarote as it relates to things I have discovered on my various walks.

For example did you know that several villages on the island have had to move. Sometimes due to pirate raids, sand storms and of course volcanic eruptions. To complicate matters the village move can even include a name change.

The links will be enabled as the pages become available.

Lanzarote History – Timeline

The island has been populated for at least 2000 years, according to archaeological discoveries.  Lanzarote was originally inhabited by the Berbers from North Africa. Grazing, fishing and agriculture was the main way of life. These people became known as the ‘Majos’.

It is likely that both the Greeks and  Phoenicians visited 800 – 550 BCE. The first recorded accounts of Lanzarote appear in AD 77. The Roman natural philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus mentioned the island in his book Naturalis Historia. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were then known as the purple islands. This was due to the dye extracted from a particular lichen found here. The dye was highly prized at the time and made the fruticose lichen, Orchilla (Roccella canariensis) a valuable commodity.

First Europeans

1312. The first documented arrival of the Genoese explorer, Lancelotto Malocello. As a result, this is probably how Lanzarote got it’s name.

1402. The arrival of Jean de Béthencourt, the Baron of La Grainville, and Gadifer de La Salle, a knight and crusader. The noblemen are received by Guardafía, the King of Lanzarote. They agreed a treaty of friendship and non-aggression.

1407.  Maciot de Béthencourt becomes the first Governor of Lanzarote by order of his uncle, the Baron. So much for friendship and a non-aggression treaty.

Pirates

During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the archipelago suffered many piratical attacks, amongst them, Sir Walter Raleigh 1616. The Canary Islands suffered pirate attacks from the European mainland and the African continent. The Barbary Corsairs from the Maghreb coasts raided for slaves and booty. The Portuguese crown ordered an attack on Lanzarote as early as 1450. It wasn’t just the Canaries however, Barbary Corsairs pushed up as far as the Baltic Sea. In 1625, about 1000 people taken prisoner off the West coast of England by pirates from Algeria.

Life After The Eruptions

1730-1736. The first of the Timanfaya volcanic eruptions, the last eruption was 1824. Because the lava buried many farms and villages. So new ways of farming evolved in and amongst the devastation. As a result, the wine region of La Geria is a prime example of this.

1852. Arrecife becomes capital of Lanzarote, replacing Teguise as the economic and political centre of the island.

1913. The construction of large storage tanks, Maretas del Estado is completed. They are located in Arrecife and designed to collect precious rainwater, built by order of King Alfonso XIII.

First aircraft to land at Arrecife airport, a Junkers Ju 52 EC-DAM on the 24 July 1941. It was not until 1946 that the airport provisionally accepts civilian aircraft.

It was in 1946 when approval was given for the drilling of the water galleries located in the Famara Massif and for its subsequent channelling to Arrecife, from where the water would be distributed to various points in the city.

1953. The water extracted from the Famara massif reaches Arrecife through the corresponding pipes, the drilling of which had begun years before. However, the system proved insufficient given the growing consumption of the Arrecife population.

1961 – 1965. Arrecife sees the installation of the first desalination plant in Europe.

Cesar Manrique returns to Lanzarote in 1966 and begins working on his many art, culture and tourism creations for the island.

On the 3rd March 1970, international and domestic flights began using the airport.

There are also a number of external sites which have proved useful during my research. As I discover more I will add them here.