Lanzarote in history

Lanzarote is of volcanic origin. The island was created about 35 million years ago by the Canary hotspot. Alfred Wegener arrived in 1912, studied the island, and showed how it fitted in with his theory of continental drift. The island and others were created after the breakup of the African and American continental plates.

From 1730 to 1736 (for 2,053 days), the island was hit by a series of volcanic eruptions, creating 32 new volcanoes in a stretch of 18 km. The minister of Yaiza Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, documented the eruption in detail until 1731. Lava covered a quarter of the island’s surface, including the most fertile soil and eleven villages. One hundred smaller volcanoes were located in the area called Montañas del Fuego.

Another volcanic eruption occurred within the range of Tiagua in 1824, which was not as bad as the major eruption before.

The most significant recorded eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736.

In 1336, a ship arrived from Lisbon under the guidance of Lanzarote da Framqua, alias Lancelotto Malocello. Near today’s Teguise, in Montaña de Guanapay, a fort was later built.

Jean de Béthencourt arrived in 1402 on a private expedition to the Canary Islands and brought slavery to the island as well as raw materials. Bethencourt first visited the south of Lanzarote at Playas de Papagayo. In 1404, the Castilians, with the support of the King of Castile, came and fought against a rebellion among the local Guanches.

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