Cave settlements dot the hillsides across the Canaries.
Tenerife Cave Dwellings The original settlers of the Canaries were the Guanches who arrived from Africa in the 1st or 2nd century.They settled in caves across the islands, concentrated in Tenerife. What fascinated me about this history is that people still live in these cave dwellings today. Excursions throughout the countryside revealed numerous dwellings spread across the island with drying laundry splayed out on lines, dogs lounging outside cave entrances, chairs perched aside a rock wall and chickens living in their coops — all scattered evidence of human habitation. We found isolated valleys where large communities were dispersed across a mountainside with small footpaths winding their way up the slope. I was intrigued by this current cave culture, still alive and vibrant. I’ve travelled to many countries where old cave dwellings are protected as UNESCO Heritage Sites, but this was the first time I’d seen established villages in remote caves. I drove aimlessly throughout the island, trying to find as many cave dwellings as I could discover — a surprisingly easy feat given the number of them spread out throughout the Canaries.
To see one island is certainly not to have seen the others.
46
mar i na l i fe. com
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker