The original inhabitants of the Canary Islands are commonly known as Guanches (although this term in its strict sense only refers to the original inhabitants of Tenerife). They are most probably descendants of the Berber peoples of northern Africa.
Who were the original inhabitants of Canary Islands?
The original inhabitants of the Canaries were the Guanches (see Guanche and Canario); now assimilated into the general population, they were a Berber people who were conquered by the Spanish in the 15th century. The Romans learned of the Canaries through Juba II, king of Mauritania, whose account of an expedition (c.
What happened to the Guanches in Canary Islands?
The Guanches were largely wiped out by 1600, so they can't testify for themselves, but evidence suggests they were related to the Berbers of North Africa and started to arrive on the Canaries in the second millennium BCE.