Canary Islanders, or Canarians, are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as habla canaria or the (dialecto) canario. The Canarians, and their descendants, played a major role during the conquest, colonization, and eventual independence movements of various countries in Latin America. Their ethnic and cultural presence is most palpable in the countries of Uruguay, Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Canarian girls singing in Gran Canaria 1972
Silbo Gomero demonstration at a restaurant in La Gomera
Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur, the first Canarian catholic saint
Isleño trapper and sons, Delacroix Island, 1941
The Guanche were the historic Indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some 100 kilometres (60 mi) west of the North African coast. They spoke the Guanche language. Believed to have been related to Berber languages of North Africa, it became extinct in the 17th century after the islands were colonized.
Statue of Tegueste at Candelaria, Tenerife
Guanche rock carvings in La Palma
Guanche pottery (Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre, Tenerife)
Guanche kings of Tenerife surrendering to Alonso Fernández de Lugo