Posts

The history behind the names of the Canaries and Lanzarote

What is the history behind the names of the Canaries and Lanzarote? The answers, including a possible Welsh origin for the name of this island, may surprise you.

Who were the Mahos?

Recent excavations in the areas of Zonzamas and San Marcial del Rubicon near Papagayo beach have renewed interest in Lanzarote's original natives, the Mahos.

Haeckel’s Lanzarote expedition

Did Lanzarote help to inspire some of the most beautiful art in 20th century Europe, as well as its most infamous ideology? The answer lies in a visit four men made to the island almost 150 years ago.

Tiny Islanders – The Canarian Shrew

There are few wild mammals on the Canary Islands, and only one land-based species that is found nowhere else on earth. Here’s the history of the Canarian Shrew (Crocidura canariensis).

A vision made real

In 1960, José Ramírez Cerdá, known to all as “Pepín” was elected as President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote. He would leave that post in 1974, having transformed the island in a way that seems scarcely believable.

The history of La Torrecilla

As you drive up from Arrieta to Órzola, through the unique malpais of rugged lava, you'll see one of Lanzarote's most distinctive buildings perched on the flank of Monte Corona. This is La Torrecilla (The Little Tower) – one of Lanzarote's most evocative buildings.

The history of Lanzarote’s shipwreck

The Telamon, the large shipwreck that lies between Arrecife and Costa Teguise, came to Lanzarote in 1981 after suffering serious problems during a storm and has remained stranded just off the coast ever since.

How do they measure volcanic activity on Lanzarote?

Lanzarote is in constant motion, a volcanic island that is shifting and trembling all the time. These movements are constantly measured and monitored by specialists here and around the world. We recently visited the source of this information, the Lanzarote Geodynamic Laboratory, to find out more.

The man who designed Lanzarote’s first five-star hotel

Fernando Higueras was the visionary architectural genius who designed the first five-star hotel on Lanzarote – the Meliá Salinas – and helped César Manrique to transform Lanzarote.

The history of Ireland’s connection to the Canary Islands

The Canaries and Ireland share a long and sad history of famine and emigration, but Irish emigration to the islands first took place around 1651. Here’s the history of Ireland’s connection to the Canary Islands.