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The Conquest ends, a new era begins I

The contacts between the Menceyato of Anaga and the Castilians are dated back todecades before the Conquest. At least 30 years before the clashes that led to the definitive entry, they carried out raids to obtain slaves, so there were skirmishes with the Guanche warriors. Until 1494, when the definitive invasion began, there were several peace pacts between the two sides. These pacts are systematically broken by more abductions of the Castilians and more fights with the natives.

By the time the taking of Tenerife begins, about three decades of tortuous and unstable relationship have already passed. Anaga, however, was part of the “peace sides”, so it was kept out of the hardest fights of this final war between conquered and conquerors.

After the occupation of Tenerife, a period begins in which Guanche life will disappear as it existed. The Castilians are the victors and take power, they begin to create something similar to the cities they knew in the European style, to distribute lands and to retaliate against those who fought against them. Thousands of people from the warring sides were sold as slaves, many others had already died in the battles and many Guanches were affected by the diseases that were entering the island for the first time.

The fate of the Guanches depended, therefore, on whether their menceyato had been on the side of peace or war, as well as on their positions within the societies and the individual behavior of each one of them in their direct dealings with the conquerors.

The best lands were kept by the Castilians, among them the conqueror Alonso Fernández de Lugo. The Adelantado was the one who divided the island among his military and also among the Canary Islanders (today Gran Canarian) that he had enlisted as allies during the conquest of the neighboring island and who participated in the battles of Tenerife. According to researcher Gabriel Betancor Quintana, the legendary warrior Maninidra was given lands in Anaga, specifically in the Bufadero ravine.

The menceys of the peace factions managed, in general, to maintain their social position and benefited from the distribution of land. There were defaults, of course, even with the most privileged. Among these injustices, the Castilians tried to turn Anaga inhabitants into slaves, despite the fact that these Guanches were on a peace side. This breach of the agreed conditions forced the intervention of the Catholic Monarchs themselves, who obtained their release.

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The conquest ends, a new era begins 2

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