Tenerife: Historian Clarifies Final Guanche Battle Site

The episode that truly marked the end of Guanche rule in Tenerife remains, even today, one of the most unknown and misunderstood events in the colonizing history of the Canary Islands. It was a military action, fought in a place whose exact location has been lost over time, and surprisingly, there is very little direct evidence about it.

Nelson Díaz Frías, the official historian for Vilaflor, has spent years studying this event purely through historical documents.

According to Díaz Frías, the first mistake people make is even in the name of the place where this final military action happened.

"It wasn't 'Los Magotes'," Díaz explains. "The original document from the 16th century clearly refers to 'Mogotes,' an old Spanish word for a small hill or natural rise, which is still used in some Latin American countries." He clarifies that this wasn't a specific place name, but rather a description of the terrain, which is why it doesn't appear on later maps.

Because "Mogotes" describes a type of landscape rather than a specific spot, the battle's exact location can't be pinpointed today. However, evidence suggests it might have taken place in areas like Montaña de Guaza, Roque del Conde, or nearby.

After the Castilians landed in 1494 and fought key battles like Matanza de Acentejo, Victoria de Acentejo, and La Laguna, Tenerife was largely under control. Only small groups of Guanches continued to resist in the areas of Icod and Abona.

At this point, Alonso Fernández de Lugo brought in a Flemish mercenary named Jorge Grimón, a seasoned soldier from the Granada War.

Grimón and his men were the first to introduce firearms to the Canary Islands.

According to historical accounts, Grimón's involvement helped break the Guanche siege and put down the final pockets of resistance in the south of the island.

While it's not absolutely certain where Grimón landed, evidence strongly suggests Los Cristianos.

"A document from 1516 specifically mentions lands in Abona, 'the corral they call Los Cristianos,' which suggests the conquerors had set up temporary shelters there," the historian explains.

Another crucial piece of evidence comes from Grimón himself: a 1506 testimony he initiated to get the Crown to recognize his achievements. In it, several soldiers stated that thanks to his actions, "the Island was finally won," even claiming that without his help, "they would have died of hunger, surrounded by the Guanches."

The conflict was officially declared over on September 29, 1496, Saint Michael the Archangel's Day. This date is even featured on the island's banner, which was commissioned by Joanna I of Castile.

In this context, claims about concentration camps for the defeated Guanches or widespread brutal rapes have no historical documents to support them. "There's absolutely no basis for them," he states.

The story of this final battle highlights a major issue in how history is often presented today: people tend to replace actual historical documents with compelling stories.

As Díaz Frías emphasizes, if the 1506 records hadn't been preserved, this entire episode would likely have been forgotten. He insists that facts and documents "require a careful and essential reading."

He concludes: "History cannot be built on ideology or resentment, but on documents."