History in short
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La Palma’s early history, like the other Canary Islands is a mystery. La Palma was originally inhabited by Berbers from North Africa. Agriculture and fishing were the forms of livelihood for these first inhabitants.
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The Canary Islands where known in the antique as the edge of the know world, Early Phoenician explorer (from Lebanon, Sidon & Tyre) most likely have been the first people to discover The Canaries. The Romans have explored the Canaries (most complete account of the canaries by Pliny the Elder. In the middle ages the Canaries disappeared from the knowledge and have been more myth than reality.
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A Genoese fleet rediscovered the Canary Islands around the end of the 13th century (unter Lancelot Malocello). Nicoloso de Recco made a detailed survey and recorded the language used by the aboriginals, the Guanchens, in 1341.
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Conquest of the Canaries (1402 to 1496), when Juan de Bethencourt landed on Lanzarote, finished about 1496 when Tenerife fell to Alonso Fernandez de Lugo.
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The conquest of La Palma (29th of September of 1492 to 3rd of May), started with the landing on the beaches of Tazacorte by Fernandez de Lugo, and finished on the of the following year.
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The last king of Benahoare to submit himself to the invaders was the legendary Tanausu, who ruled the Kingdom of Acero (Caldera de Taburiente). The Castilian conquistadors failed two times to penetrate La Caldera to defeat him, a man called Juan de Palma, a relative of Tanausu already converted to christianity,was send to establish a truce. Tanausu agreed, but de Lugo broke the agreement, Tanausu was captured in an ambush. Tanausu was taken away into slavery, but refused to eat after leaving the island, and died.
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Alonso Fernandez de Lugo was appointed the first governor of Tenerife and La Palma. The crown equipped him with more power than the other governors (he financed the conquest himself). He had the rights on slaves trade, the right to control entry and exit from the islands, to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction, and to appoint and dismiss judicial deputies.
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In 1433 a papal bull gave rights over the Canaries to Henry the Navigator of Portugal, the decision was reversed in 1436 and the rights where awarded to the crown of Castile. In 1479 in a main clause of the "Treaty of Alcáçovas" the Castile's rights over the Canary Islands were recognised while Portugal won the exclusive right of navigating, conquering and trading in all the Atlantic Oceansouth of the Canary Islands. Thus, Portugal attained hegemony in the Atlantic not only for its known territories but also for those discovered in the future. Castile was restricted to the Canaries., in return for Castilian recognition of Portugese sovereignty over Fez and Guinea. (Source: Wikipedia)
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1496 Alonso Fernandez de Lugo conquered Tenerife
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1492 (Sept) the assault on La Palma started and endet May 1493 (Alonso Fernandez de Lugo).
The Guanchen
the indigenous people of the Canary Island where Berbers from the mountains of Northwest Africa. How the reached the Canary Islands is speculation. The first colonists may have arrived in the first millennium BC and it is said that 4 waves of colonization took place. (based on carbon dating techniques and pottery remains)
La Palma was called Benahoare by the Guanchen. The island was divided into 12 kingdoms and ruled by a Mencey (King). (Please check MAP and Kingdom List, Source: Isaac Newton Group)
The Guanchen lived in cave, which can be found at all Canary Islands. In La Palma caves can be found in Belmacho near Mazo , and at Zarza in Garafía .
The Guanchen have known how to mummify and in Museums over the Archipel (Tenerifa, Gran Canaria) the Mummies can be seen. It seems that stone pyramids and the Roque Idafe (Caldera de Taburiente) have been in the center of there religion believes. Geometrical carvings and decorated hand-made pottery are witness of their existence. The artesania El Molino reproductions can be found.
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The richness of the island attracted immigrants from Castille, Portugese, Italians, Catalans, Basques and other northern Europeans. The immigration was relatively short-lived - after the 1520s immigration almost ceased.
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Despite the large number of immigrants, the Guanches did not disappear, being assimilated rather than exterminated. Gaspar Frutuoso wrote about the population of La Palma (end of the 16th century) as being evenly divided between Castilian, Portugese and indigenous peoples. The people mixed and lived in peace with each other.
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The main product in pre-conquest days were dye-stuffs and shells. Important was orchil or orcein, archil, lacmus, a moss-like dye-stuff. Wheat was introduced in the 15th century, but towards the end of the century sugar was the most important export product. Beekeeping, producing both honey and beeswax , was another income.
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The sugar industry was the basis of a commercial boom. Shipbuilding enterprises were established and Santa Cruz de La Palma's port developed sea connections with Europe and America. The primary interest of foreign merchants was the export of sugar in return for the import of cloth.
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The sugar production was replaced by wine production of Malvasia (a sweet dessert wine), exported to England and the American colonies.
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The Canarien economy was restricted by the Casa de Contratacion in Sevilla (overseeing the trade monopoly of the Spanish crown to the American colonies). La Palma was only allowed to export 300 tons. In 1678 regulations required that per each 100 tons of goods 5 families hat to immigrate to America.
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Santa Cruz de la Palma was in the 18th century the third biggest habour after Antwerp and Sevilla.
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The wine trade was replaced by the growing of cochineal, a cactus parasite (around 1825), 1870s the introduction of artificial coloring hit the economy of the island badly, leading to hardship.
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In 1880 a rudimentary tourist industry started, at the turn of the century banana plants have been introduced. The first world war effected the industry strongly.
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The heavy economical problems in the late 19th century led to a high level on immigration to Cuba and Venezuela. (many Canaries have family links to those countries.
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From 1960 onwards the banana export exceeded 130 million kg.
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Most important for the economy was and is the tourism. In 2016 La Palma received 167 838 foreign tourists, about 35 % more than in the year before. The so called "Snowbirds" , foreign pensioners coming in the winter play also a roll in the economy.
Politics
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The Autonomous Community of Canary Islands has two provinces - Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the capitals Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Crus de Tenerife.
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Each of the 7 Islands is ruled by an council called Cabildo Insular.
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The Islands have 13 seats in the Spanisch Senate.
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The Canary Islands form one of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain They are not part of the EU VAT Area. The Canary Islands are the economically strongest and most populated of all outermost regions in the EU. The office for support and information is located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
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The Canary islands are a Special Economic Zone with tax and other privileges.
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Lower VAT (called IGIC), subsidies on travel for residents from and to the mainland Spain, subsidies for maritime transport, lower fuel taxes etc. For more information on the The Special Economic Zone – ZONA ESPECIAL CANARIA (ZEC) click HERE
Igelsia Matriz de El Salvador
Founded around the year 1500, El Salvador Main Church is a result of several reforms and extensions that ended up conforming its present basilical distribution, with three naves, separated from each other by archery of half point, of smooth shaft and covered with Mudejar style roofs that give the building an arabesque air. The building has three facades, the main one, to the South, is elaborated in La Gomera stonework and has two lateral pedestals that support two Corinthian columns with a triangular pediment on top of them. From the corners of those columns come pilasters of Doric order with vases on their side and the image of El Salvador in the center. In its interior, modified in successive reforms, the decorations of the vaults of the headboard, painted by Ubaldo Bordanova Moreno between 1895 and 1897, and the greater altarpiece, inspired in the model of triumphal arch of the Renaissance cover, with canvas Central of the Seville Antonio Maria de Esquivel and table of the altar and Eucharistic tabernacle.
