New Núñez de la Peña Manuscript Offers Key Canary Islands History Insights

A newly discovered manuscript by 17th-century Canarian historian Juan Núñez de la Peña is set to significantly improve our understanding of the Canary Islands' history writing and how texts were shared at that time. This important find, which sheds light on the research and careful methods of one of the islands' key historians, is the main feature of the fourth "Immobilizing Time" exhibition. This traveling show displays restored items from Tenerife's museums. The Center for Documentation of the Canary Islands and America (Cedocam) in La Laguna announced that the exhibition will be open to the public until May 10.

The document is a copy of "History of the Conquest of the Seven Canary Islands," a fundamental work by Fray Juan de Abreu Galindo. Núñez de la Peña made this copy himself, and very few versions of Abreu Galindo's original work still exist. What makes this copy important are the notes in the margins. These notes confirm that Núñez de la Peña had access to Abreu Galindo's original writings, which he then used when writing his own book, "History of the Conquest and Antiquities of the Island of Gran Canaria," published in 1676 and reissued in 1679.

This manuscript offers detailed information on the history of Gran Canaria and a description of Tenerife in the 17th century. It also provides previously unknown data on how manuscripts circulated across the islands and on Núñez de la Peña's historical research. At the Cedocam exhibition, visitors can not only see this valuable document but also learn about its conservation and restoration process. The display showcases the scientific techniques used and the challenges faced by the restoration team in their daily work. For more details, visit the Museums of Tenerife website.