The Canary Island La Palma - History

Facts:
Size: 706 sqkm
Population: approx. 80.000
Capital: Santa Cruz de la Palma (approx. 18.000 inhibants)

La Palma is an island full of art treasures and architectural jewels, an island with marvellous arts and crafts and full of European and American history. It was only 500 years ago when the ’Guanches’ where still living here, a Stone Age people separated from the civilised world. Little is known of the first settlement of the Canary Islands.

Most probably it were nomad people from Africa who found the way over the sea. The oldest findings were dated at about 200 BC. The culture of the ‘Guanches’, which is what the native inhabitants were called, is comparable to the one of the stone ages. They lived in caves, clothed themselves in skin, used primitive tools and carved peculiar motives into stones.

In the age of the conquerors La Palma was integrated in the Spanish realm. Of the 12 realms only names like ‘Aridane’, ‘Tituya’, ‘Tigalate’ or ‘Tijarafe’ remain. This step from the stone- to the new ages cost a lot of lives, but just like in other cases the culture of the Guanches was not completely eradicated. The fact that women had a certain amount of power in the ages of the Guanches is still noticeable in the deference with which the La Palmerians treat their, especially elder, women or in the self understanding of the women to stand their ground instead of being subjected. Of the old gods nothing is left though. Like in almost all southern countries the people in La Palma worship Christian divinities and carry statues of them through the streets on religious festivities. The conquerors did a good job and firmly established the catholic religion. The natives called their island ‘Benaohare’ and it was divided in 12 regions, which were ruled by 12 kings. The conquest of La Palma began on the 29th of September with the landing of the troops of the Spanish governor, Alonso Fernández de Lugo on the beaches of Tazarote. It was only concluded on the 3rd of March the following year.

After La Palma was integrated in the realm of Spain the immigration of Castilians, Mallorcans, Catalans, Portuguese, Italians and Dutch started whom the riches of the islands attracted. Together with the few natives who survived the invasion they form the mixture of people, which is the origin of the existing population of La Palma. The Island experienced a remarkable uplift in the 16th century: Sugar, wine, honey and other products were exported. The first shipyards were built. The harbour of Santa Cruz de La Palma was a scene of busy trades with its overseas connections to Europe and America. But this flourishing prosperity also attracted the notoriously famous pirates and corsairs, like the French ‘Jambe de Bois’ (‘Wood leg’ or in Spanish ‘Pata de Palo’) who raided Santa Cruz de La Palma in 1553 and then burned it, destroying many great sights and important city files in the process.

In the 17th century Santa Cruz was regarded as the third biggest harbour of the Spanish world realm, after Antwerp and Seville. The ships going to America were dispatched here and the city was also the first seat of the Indian court (Juzgado de Indias). Worth mentioning is also the ship building industry, which was aided by the huge forests. The first ship builder arrived straight after the conquest and this great industry existed right into the forties of the 20th century. Seaworthy ships like ‘La Amistad’ (The Friendship), ‘San Miguel Nivaria’, ‘Rosa del Turia’, ‘Ninfa de los Mares’ (Nymph of the seas), ‘La Fama’ (The fame), ‘El Triunfo (The triumph), ‘La Verdad’ (The truth) and others were built here.

Of all these ‘La Verdad’ is to be emphasised. She was admired in all the harbours she put into in America and Europe. She was built by Don Sebastian Arocena in 1873, was 40 m long and could load up to 700 tons. It is said, that she transported nearly 400 passengers, not counting the crew, on her many trips to Cuba and that she managed to do the trip from La Palma to Cuba in 18 days, which was an amazing achievement in those days. The end for this popular ship came in 1899 when it sank near the Bermudas.

In the 19th century the cultivation of sugar cane was reintroduced to the island after being forgotten for a very long time. In the 20th century the cultivation of bananas, started in the previous century, became the economic basis for La Palma. Goat breeding, a small but very good tobacco industry, the cultivation of vine and avocado trees and a young tourism industry complete the economy of the island.

But the work of La Palmas’s farmers has to be particularly appreciated. With almost super human efforts they directed water from the inner parts of the island to the coastal planes and gathered soil in inaccessible places creating furtive, watered fields were there was only barren magma and stones before.