Tenerife: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Tenerife was the last island to fall to the Spanish (in 1496), and the feisty indigenous inhabitants, the Guanches, did not give up without a fight. The island's name appears to have been coined by the people of La Palma, who knew it as Tinerife - White Mountain (from tiner meaning mountain and ife meaning white) - since all they could usually see was El Teide's snowcapped peak. Tenerife, like its neighbour and competitor Gran Canaria, soon attracted a large chunk of the settlers from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and even Britain.

In 1821 Madrid declared Santa Cruz de Tenerife, by then the island's main port, the capital of the Canaries. The good and great of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria remained incensed about this until 1927, when Madrid finally split the archipelago into two provinces, with Santa Cruz as provincial capital of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. Today, Santa Cruz shares the duties of regional capital of all seven islands with its long-standing rival, Las Palmas.

Modern History

General Franco seized control of all the islands in 1937. Unlike mainland Spain, there was virtually no fighting on the islands, but the Nationalists wasted no time in rounding up anyone vaguely suspected of harbouring Republican sympathies.

Spain's postwar economic misery was felt by the islanders, so much so that many Canarios opted to emigrate. In the 1950s the situation was so desperate that 16,000 migrated clandestinely, mainly to Venezuela, even though the country had by then closed its doors to further immigration. Many died attempting the ocean crossings.

When Franco decided to open up Spain to northern European tourists the Canaries benefited as much as the mainland. Millions of holidaymakers now pour into the islands year-round. Always a fringe phenomenon, Canaries nationalism started to resurface in opposition to Franco. MPAIC (Movimiento para la Autodeterminación e Independencia del Archipiélago Canario), founded in 1963 by Antonio Cubillo to promote secession from Spain, embarked on a terrorist campaign in the late 1970s; Cubillo was expelled, though later he was allowed to return.

In 1978 a new constitution was passed in Madrid with devolution as one of its central pillars. Thus the Canary Islands became a comunidad autónoma (autonomous region) in August 1982, yet they remained divided into two provinces. The main force in Canary Islands' politics since its first regional election victory in 1995 has been the Coalición Canaria (CC). Although not bent on independence from Spain (which would be unlikely to be granted anyway), the CC nevertheless puts the interests of the islands before national considerations. Don't be surprised to see graffiti along the lines of 'Spanish Go Home'.

Recent History

Modern-day Tenerife is best known as a party island, where sunburnt holidaymakers on package deals spend all day sun-soaking on the beach and all night partying. Indeed, if you're staying in the southern resorts you'll have plenty of opportunities to let your hair down and shake your booty - especially if you're here for Carnaval or any other holiday festival. This is where the famed Spanish attitude to putting pleasure before business reaches a frenzied peak in towns and cities across the island.

You'll receive a rather one-sided view of the island's culture unless you get out and explore the island. There are many small towns and villages a bit further afield where you'll gain a greater sense of Tenerife's local history and traditions.

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