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12 | Gazette Life | February 2026%u201cTHE BEGINNING OF THE END%u201d The US%u2019s military action in Venezuela on 3rd January, which resulted in the abduction of Nicolas Maduro, was received with joy on the Canary Islands, which have always had close links with the South American country, and where many thousands of Venezuelans have chosen to make their home. Ever since Christopher Columbus paused at La Gomera for supplies on his voyage to the New World, the Canary Islands have a long and close relationship with Latin America. For centuries the islands were the last stop for sailing ships following the trade winds across the Atlantic to the New World.Poverty and famine caused many thousands of Canarians to emigrate to new homes in the Spanish colonies across the Atlantic. There, they established communities such as the city of San Antonio in Texas and became an important part of the tobacco trade in Cuba.However, Venezuela was always the most important destination, with Canarian immigrants arriving there from the 16th century onwards, sent there by colonial rulers or choosing to make their own way to a better future. This continued until well after the Spanish Civil War, when several thousand Canarians emigrated secretly to escape the poverty and repression of post-war Spain. In modern Venezuela a strong Canarian influence remains in the names, the spoken language, the institutions and businesses, and the process has always been two-way, with many Canarians returning home to their native islands after making fortunes in the coffee, cocoa and sugar industries. Many more Venezuelans have emigrated to the islands since the 1970s, making the Canaries the most %u201cLatin-American%u201d region of Europe. Over 80,000 modern Canarians were born in Venezuela, and they have many more first- and second-generation Spanish children. Tenerife is the most favoured island - home to more than 50,000 Venezuelans. On Lanzarote, the figure is officially 1,144, but many more have adopted Spanish nationality.Immigration to Spain from Venezuela increased drastically following the election of Hugo Ch%u00e1vez in 1998, and soared after the Venezuelan crisis in 2010, which saw hyperinflation, widespread starvation and repression by government forces. As a result, the majority of Venezuelans in the Canaries have been bitter opponents of Maduro%u2019s regime, and the news of his toppling led to wild celebrations in many Canarian towns and cities. Pic Left: Mar%u00eda Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonz%u00e1lezGAZETTE | CURRENT AFFAIRSCalle Gin%u00e9s de Castro, 12 - 3%u00b0, 35500 Arrecife - LanzaroteTel: (+34) 928 815 262 l info@lanzarotelawyers.com l www.lanzarotelawyers.comEnglish Speaking SolicitorsJorge de la Cueva TerrerEileen Izquierdo LawlorMario Izquierdo Lawlor%u2022 Spanish Wills and advice on English Wills %u2022 Litigation %u2022 Family Law%u2022 Conveyancing and transfers of lease %u2022 Personal Liability %u2022 Specialists in Holiday Letting Law and Holiday Let Registration.%u2022 Company Law %u2022 Assistance with Local AuthoritiesEstablished since 1986 ~ Serving you on Lanzarote for over 40 years