TravelTill

History of Isla de Tenerife


JuteVilla
Cocanaymo and Romén. Today this territory is occupied by El Tanque, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte and Santiago del Teide.

Adeje. Menceyes. Atbitocazpe, Pelinor, and Ichasagua. It included what today are the municipalities of Guía de Isora,Adeje and Vilaflor

There was also the achimenceyato of Punta del Hidalgo, governed by Aguahuco, a "poor noble" who was an illegitimate son of Tinerfe and Zebenzui.

Spanish conquest

In December 1493, the King of Spain granted Alonso Fernández de Lugo the right to conquer the island of Tenerife. In April 1494, coming from Gran Canaria, the conqueror landed on the coast of present day Santa Cruz de Tenerife and disembarked with about 2,000 men on foot and 200 on horseback. After taking the fort, the army prepared to move inland, later capturing the native kings of Tenerife and presenting them to Ferdinand and Isabella.

The menceyes of Tenerife adopted differing responses to the conquest. They divided themselves into the side of peace (Spanish: bando de paz) and the side of war (Spanish: bando de guerra), with the first including the menceyatos of Anaga, Güímar, Abona and Adeje, and the second group with the Tegueste, Tacoronte, Taoro, Icoden and Daute. The opposing group tenaciously fought the conquerors delaying the conquest of the island for two years. Spanish forces under the Adelantado ("military governor") de Lugo suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Guanches in the First Battle of Acentejo in 1494, but the Guanches were eventually overcome by superior technology and surrendered to the Crown of Castile on 25 December 1494.

As in the rest of the islands, many of the natives were enslaved, especially those belonging to the side of war, while a good part of the native population succumbed to diseases such as influenza and probably smallpox, to which they lacked resistance. After the conquest, and especially in the following century,
JuteVilla