
The Guanche society had different ways of adapting to the new imposed order, which was not exempt of violence. The occupants forced them to change their lives radically. Juan Carlos Marrero exposes, in his research “Structure and dynamism in Guanche social relations after the conquest of Tenerife”.Structure and dynamism in the Guanche social relations after the conquest of Tenerife“some of the ways in which the Guanches of Anaga ‘reconverted’.
Many of the privileged groups during the menceyatos, mainly from the peace factions but also from the war factions, continued to be privileged after the conquest, and were incorporated into the social recognition of the conquerors.
Beyond the elites, many Guanches went to the new cities that were emerging, among them there were successful cases, such as Gaspar Fernandez -in La Laguna- or Pedro de Anaga -in Garachico-, both from Anaguá. The two became rich with different businesses. The first, also called Gaspar Guanche, seems to have been a protégé of the Adelantado.
There were also many Guanches who, participating in the new order, isolated themselves in remote places. And even in this group there are cases in which they made a name for themselves, such as the Ybaute family, from San Andrés, who monopolized various businesses and are very present in the life of La Laguna, even though they do not live there. It is likely that their development benefited from having had contact with Europeans since before the conquest.
But the vast majority of the Guanches were marginalized. Many were free, but with few resources, they continued to be shepherds, but on a daily basis. Others were slaves, especially if they came from warring sides. Their liberation was to become wage laborers. When they got it, they were suspected of joining the “alzados”, a group that always showed rebellion and had no intention of assimilating the new order. The alzados became a problem for the authorities, as they stole to support themselves and it was feared that they would influence the rest of the population.
Everyone saw the island change little by little. Their religion, language and customs were lost over the centuries. The nature that their ancestors saw changed, not only did other people arrive from other places, but new animals and plants would become predominant. In the short term, in Anaga, Taganana was one of the places where settlers arrived first. The valley was fertile, watered, and inhabited since ancient times. A town was built there, which lived off the king of products in the first years after the conquest: sugar cane, nowadays testimonial, but which generated a great industry at that time. The vines, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit trees… a series of species that completely changed the landscape and the diet of the inhabitants of Tenerife.
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