History of Lanzarote
📜 From the Majos to the Island of César Manrique
Lanzarote has a history as extraordinary as its landscape. The Majos lived here, European conquerors arrived, pirates and corsairs devastated the island, and powerful volcanic eruptions changed the lives of its inhabitants forever. Later came the era of barilla and cochineal, the development of Arrecife, fishing and tourism, while in the 20th century César Manrique began his fight to ensure that development would not rob Lanzarote of its unique character.
Discover the history of Lanzarote step by step – from its first inhabitants to the island we see today.
📖 Discover Lanzarote with the Guidebook
History on Lanzarote is not confined to museums – you will encounter it in Teguise, Cueva de los Verdes, the volcanoes of Timanfaya, La Geria, Arrecife, and the places created by César Manrique.
In the guidebook Lanzarote with César Manrique, I connect these stories with the places you visit. You’ll find ready-made itineraries, maps and GPS points, parking information, opening hours and days, as well as practical information you’ll need during your trip.
👉 Discover the guidebook: Lanzarote with César Manrique.
🌋 An Island Born from Volcanoes
The history of Lanzarote began millions of years before the first humans arrived. The island formed in stages through successive eruptions of underwater volcanoes, which gradually raised sections of land above the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
The oldest parts of Lanzarote are found in the north, around the Famara massif, and in the south, in the Los Ajaches massif. Later eruptions gradually filled the space between them, shaping the island we know today.
Volcanic activity, however, did not remain confined to the distant past. As recently as the 18th and 19th centuries, eruptions once again transformed the landscape of Lanzarote – but we will return to that chapter of the island’s history later.
👉 Its first inhabitants were the Majos. And this is where the human history of Lanzarote begins.
👣 The Majos – Lanzarote’s First Inhabitants
Long before the arrival of Europeans, Lanzarote already had its own inhabitants. We call them the Majos – the indigenous people of the island, descended from Berber peoples of North Africa. They lived on Lanzarote for many centuries, developing their own society adapted to the island’s dry, volcanic environment.
They mainly raised goats and sheep, cultivated the land, gathered wild plants and made use of the resources provided by the sea. They lived in simple stone dwellings and natural caves, while much of what we know today about their way of life, beliefs and social organisation comes from archaeological discoveries and accounts written by the first Europeans.
We do not know exactly when the first settlers arrived on Lanzarote. Archaeological research and dating methods have not provided a single undisputed answer, so it is safest to say that the Majos were present on the island by at least the first centuries AD.
👉 I have dedicated a separate article to the Majos, where I explore their origins, homes, food, beliefs and what life was like on Lanzarote before the European conquest.
⛵ Europeans Appear off the Coast
Long before the conquest of Lanzarote began in 1402, the island was already known to European sailors. During the 14th century, expeditions from the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula began reaching the Canary Islands more frequently, driven by an interest in new routes, trade and the opportunities offered by the archipelago.
One of the most mysterious figures from this period is the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, who probably reached Lanzarote in the first half of the 14th century and is believed to have remained on the island for an extended period. His connection with Lanzarote left a lasting mark – on Angelino Dulcert’s map of 1339, the island appears as Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, from which the modern name Lanzarote is derived.
Contact with Europeans, however, did not mean trade alone for the Majos. During the 14th century, expeditions also began arriving in the Canary Islands with the aim of capturing local inhabitants and taking them away as slaves. Even before the conquest began, the islanders therefore encountered one of the darkest aspects of the archipelago’s history – one that would continue for centuries.
In 1402, the nature of the European presence changed fundamentally. An expedition led by Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de La Salle arrived on Lanzarote. This time, the aim was no longer a brief visit, trade or the capture of prisoners.
The conquest of the island was beginning.
⚔️ 1402 – The Conquest of Lanzarote Begins
In 1402, an expedition led by two Norman noblemen – Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de La Salle – reached Lanzarote. They had sailed from La Rochelle in France, and after arriving in the Canary Islands, they landed in the south of Lanzarote, in the Rubicón area, where they established their first base and built fortifications. It was on Lanzarote that the European conquest of the Canary Islands began.
The beginning, however, did not take the form of a great battle between the conquerors and the Majos. There were only a small number of Europeans, while the indigenous population was ruled by Guadarfía. At first, an agreement was reached with him – the Majos were to remain more like allies than subjects. The situation soon became more complicated, however, with conflicts and betrayals, and eventually Guadarfía submitted to the conquerors.
Béthencourt then travelled to Castile, where he obtained the support of King Henry III and acknowledged his sovereignty. Lanzarote became the first of the Canary Islands to be conquered as part of the so-called conquista señorial – the seigneurial conquest carried out by private lords with the approval of the Crown.
For the Majos, this marked the end of the world they had known. The conquest brought submission to a new authority, Christianisation, and the gradual transformation of the island’s entire social order.
👑 The End of the Majos’ World
The European conquest marked the end of the world that the Majos had developed on Lanzarote over many centuries. With the island brought under the control of its new rulers, the Christianisation of its inhabitants began, along with the introduction of a European political, social and economic order.
Some of the Majos were baptised and became part of the new society. Guadarfía, the last indigenous ruler of Lanzarote, was baptised and given the name Luis. Other inhabitants were killed during conflicts, taken away from the island or sold into slavery. Slave-raiding expeditions played a particularly devastating role, further reducing Lanzarote’s already small population.
The Majos did not, however, suddenly disappear. They mixed with Europeans arriving on the island, and their descendants became part of Lanzarote’s new society. Over time, their language, beliefs and traditional social structures gradually disappeared, replaced by European culture and Christianity.
🏰 Lanzarote Becomes a Feudal Island
After the conquest, Lanzarote did not come under the direct rule of the Crown of Castile. It became one of the so-called señorial islands – islands governed by private lords who exercised authority under a feudal system. The rights to Lanzarote later passed between successive owners and noble families.
Teguise gradually became the island’s political centre. Located inland, away from the coast most vulnerable to attack, it became the seat of Lanzarote’s lords, local authorities and the centre of religious and administrative life. For the next several centuries, Teguise served as the island’s capital.
The Herrera family became particularly influential, and in the 16th century Agustín de Herrera y Rojas emerged as one of the most important figures in Lanzarote’s history. In 1584, Philip II granted him the title of Marquis of Lanzarote, making him the island’s first marquis.
Feudal Lanzarote, however, remained small, sparsely populated and difficult to defend. Its location close to the coast of Africa, combined with inadequate fortifications, would soon prove particularly dangerous.
☠️ An Island Targeted by Pirates and Corsairs
Lanzarote’s location, which favoured navigation and contact with the African coast, also had a darker side. For centuries, the island was targeted by pirates and corsairs. Attackers plundered settlements, burned buildings, stole possessions and, above all, captured inhabitants, who were sold into slavery or held for ransom.
The great raids of 1569, 1571, 1586 and 1618 were particularly devastating. Teguise and Arrecife were attacked repeatedly, while the inhabitants fled to places that were difficult to reach, seeking refuge in locations such as Cueva de los Verdes and the fortress on Guanapay – today’s Castillo de Santa Bárbara. The last major Barbary raid on Lanzarote took place in 1749.
👉 I have explored the history of pirates and corsairs on Lanzarote in a separate article – from the earliest attacks and the great raids to the capture of inhabitants, as well as the castles, caves and other places where traces of these events can still be found today.
🌋 1730 – The Earth Begins to Burn
On 1 September 1730, the earth near Timanfaya opened up, beginning a series of eruptions unlike anything the people of Lanzarote had ever experienced before. We know how the eruptions unfolded partly thanks to the writings of Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, the parish priest of Yaiza, who recorded successive explosions, the appearance of new craters and lava engulfing the land.
The eruptions continued intermittently until 1736. Lava and volcanic material covered a vast area of the island, destroying villages, farmland and pastures. People living in threatened areas abandoned their homes, and some moved to other parts of Lanzarote or to neighbouring islands.
The disaster completely transformed the landscape of west-central Lanzarote. Where fields and settlements had once stood, there were now seas of solidified lava, craters and dozens of new volcanic cones – creating the extraordinary landscape that today fascinates visitors to Timanfaya.
But the eruptions also brought something the inhabitants could not initially have foreseen. The layer of volcanic material that covered some of the fields proved capable of helping retain moisture in Lanzarote’s extremely dry climate. Over time, the islanders learned how to make use of these new conditions.
🍇 Life Returns to the Lava Fields
The eruptions of 1730–1736 destroyed a large part of Lanzarote’s former farmland, but the islanders soon discovered that volcanic material could also become an ally. A layer of fine lapilli, known locally as picón, absorbs moisture from dew and the air, reduces evaporation and helps protect the soil from drying out.
The inhabitants began digging through the layer of volcanic material to reach the fertile soil beneath and planting crops there. Grapevines proved particularly well suited to these conditions. To provide additional protection from Lanzarote’s strong winds, characteristic semicircular walls of volcanic stone were built around the hollows.
This is how the extraordinary agricultural landscape of La Geria was born – one of the most recognisable sights on Lanzarote today. The catastrophe that had taken away the islanders’ farmland forced them to develop an entirely new way of cultivating the land.
👉 Why do grapevines on Lanzarote grow in hollows? – discover more on the La Geria page.
🌿 Barilla – The Plant That Brought Prosperity
By the end of the 18th century, barilla had become an important source of income for Lanzarote. These plants were well adapted to dry and saline soils. Once harvested, they were dried and burned, producing ash rich in sodium compounds that was used primarily in the manufacture of glass and soap.
Barilla became a valuable export commodity. Its cultivation and trade flourished particularly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with much of the production leaving Lanzarote through the port of Arrecife. This was one of the reasons why the previously small port settlement began to grow rapidly in importance.
The boom did not last forever. The development of industrial methods for producing soda gradually reduced demand for the natural raw material. Lanzarote had to look for another product from which it could earn its living.
🌋 1824 – The Volcanoes Awaken Again
Almost a century had passed since the great eruptions of 1730–1736 when Lanzarote once again reminded its inhabitants that they lived on a volcanic island. In 1824, a new series of eruptions began, although it was much shorter and smaller than the one that had created the landscape of Timanfaya.
The volcanic activity lasted from 31 July to 24 October 1824 and affected three locations. Volcán de Tao erupted first, followed by Nuevo del Fuego, also known as Chinero (located within today’s Timanfaya National Park), and finally Tinguatón. New craters and lava fields were formed, but this time the scale of destruction was far smaller than it had been a century earlier.
The eruptions were accompanied by some remarkable phenomena. Tinguatón became particularly memorable because not only steam and volcanic material emerged from the crater, but also water – a phenomenon so distinctive that the site later became known as Volcán del Clérigo Duarte.
The eruptions of 1824 were the last historically recorded eruptions on Lanzarote. Since then, the island’s volcanoes have remained dormant, although their heat can still be felt in the Timanfaya area.
⚓ Arrecife Grows in Importance
For centuries, the most important town on Lanzarote was Teguise, located inland. Arrecife remained a small settlement by the ocean, but it had something the old capital lacked – a natural harbour sheltered by reefs and small islets, which also gave the town its name.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the harbour grew rapidly in importance. Lanzarote’s products, including grain, wine and barilla, were exported through Arrecife, while increasing numbers of merchant ships called at the port. Warehouses, workshops and houses appeared around the waterfront, and the small settlement gradually developed into the island’s economic centre.
The growth of trade attracted new inhabitants. Arrecife expanded, while Teguise, situated away from the coast, began to lose some of its former importance. It became increasingly clear that the centre of life on Lanzarote was shifting from the old feudal capital towards the port.
By the 19th century, this change could no longer be ignored. In 1847, Arrecife officially became the capital of Lanzarote.
🏛️ 1847 – Arrecife Becomes the Capital
In 1847, Arrecife officially replaced Teguise as the capital of Lanzarote. In many ways, this simply confirmed a change that had already been taking place for decades – the island’s economic life was becoming increasingly centred around the port.
Arrecife had direct access to the sea, a growing trade network and an increasing population. Teguise, which had served as Lanzarote’s political and administrative centre for centuries, gradually lost its dominant position. The former capital remained an important town on the island, but its role was taken over by the rapidly developing port city.
The transfer of the capital therefore symbolically marked the end of an era in which feudal Lanzarote had revolved around Teguise, and opened a new chapter in which trade, the port and connections with the wider world played an increasingly important role.
🐞 Cochineal – Lanzarote’s Red Gold
In the mid-19th century, Lanzarote found another source of income – cochineal. This time, however, the valuable commodity was not a plant, but a tiny insect – the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus), raised on prickly pear cacti.
The female insects were collected and dried, then used to produce carmine – an intense red dye. At a time when cheap synthetic dyes were not yet available, natural red pigments were highly valued, particularly by the textile industry.
Lanzarote’s climate proved well suited to cochineal production, and during the second half of the 19th century it became an important export product. Prickly pear plantations were concentrated mainly around Guatiza and Mala, while the dried cochineal was shipped through the port of Arrecife to European markets.
The boom did not last long. During the second half of the 19th century, the development of synthetic dyes caused demand for natural carmine to fall dramatically. For Lanzarote, this meant the loss of yet another important source of income.
💡 Did you know?
Cochineal is not a red “powder from a cactus”. It is made from dried insects, from which carmine is extracted. The dye is still used today, including in food and cosmetics, where it can be listed as E120.
🐟 Lanzarote Turns to the Sea
The sea had always been important to the people of Lanzarote, but from the late 19th century, and particularly during the 20th century, fishing began to play a much greater role in the island’s economy. Lanzarote’s location close to the exceptionally rich fishing grounds off the coast of North-West Africa gave the industry favourable conditions for growth.
Arrecife, and particularly Puerto de Naos, became the main centre of this activity. The fishing fleet expanded, fish-processing and canning facilities were established, and the port provided employment for a growing number of islanders. Fish were no longer caught solely for local consumption – they became a commodity processed and produced on a much larger scale.
During the 20th century, the fishing industry became one of the important pillars of Lanzarote’s economy. Over time, however, its significance began to decline, partly because of changes in access to fishing grounds off the African coast and the economic transformation taking place on the island itself.
Lanzarote was soon to discover an entirely new source of income. This time, there was no need to grow crops or catch fish. In a sense, the island itself – its climate and extraordinary landscape – became the commodity.
✈️ Tourists Arrive on Lanzarote
As late as the mid-20th century, Lanzarote was still an island of farmers, fishermen and small towns and villages – much poorer and quieter than it is today. Travellers were attracted by its extraordinary landscape and mild climate, but the real tourism revolution did not begin until the 1960s.
The development of air travel played a major role. Lanzarote Airport had already begun handling civilian traffic earlier, but its expansion and the introduction of regular international connections in the 1960s made the island much more accessible to foreign visitors. Hotels, apartments and tourist facilities began to appear, while Puerto del Carmen was transformed from a small fishing village into Lanzarote’s first major resort.
Tourism quickly began to reshape the island’s economy. It created jobs and opportunities for development that Lanzarote had never had before, but at the same time, a new danger emerged – uncontrolled mass development threatened to change the island’s landscape forever.
🎨 César Manrique Returns to Lanzarote
In the 1960s, as tourism began to transform Lanzarote at an increasingly rapid pace, César Manrique returned to the island. After years spent in Madrid and New York, he saw something in his native island that others did not always recognise at the time – its raw volcanic landscape was its greatest treasure.
Manrique was not opposed to tourism. On the contrary, he understood that it could bring development and better living conditions to the island’s inhabitants. However, he wanted Lanzarote to avoid copying the resorts emerging in other parts of Spain and instead build its future around its own architecture, natural environment and landscape.
Together with Jesús Soto and a group of collaborators, he began developing a vision of an island where art, architecture and nature would form a harmonious whole.
Places such as Jameos del Agua, Mirador del Río and, later, Jardín de Cactus were created, while traditional white architecture, local materials and the volcanic landscape became key elements of Lanzarote’s new identity.
Manrique also campaigned against excessive development and advertising, fought to preserve the traditional character of the island’s towns and villages, and tried to convince its inhabitants that the landscape was not an obstacle to development – it was Lanzarote’s greatest asset.
Of course, he did not achieve all of this alone, and not all of his ideas were successfully preserved. Nevertheless, Manrique’s influence on the direction in which Lanzarote developed was so profound that it is impossible to fully understand the island today without knowing his story.
👉 I have dedicated a separate article to César Manrique, where I explore his life, ideas, collaborators and the places he created on Lanzarote.
🌵 The Lanzarote We See Today
Today’s Lanzarote is the result of all these stories coming together. Traces of the Majos can be found at archaeological sites, old Teguise recalls the island’s feudal past, castles and caves tell of pirate raids, while the lava fields of Timanfaya bear witness to six years of eruptions that changed the island forever.
In La Geria, the remarkable method of cultivation developed out of the need to adapt to the volcanic landscape is still used today. Around Mala and Guatiza, fields of prickly pear cacti remain as reminders of the cochineal era, while the port city of Arrecife reflects the age of trade and fishing.
Then there is the Lanzarote of the 20th century – tourism and the legacy of César Manrique. Whitewashed towns and villages, restrictions on the height of buildings, the absence of huge advertising billboards, and places where architecture seems to blend into the lava have helped the island preserve a character that sets it apart from many other popular holiday destinations.
And perhaps that is why the best way to discover Lanzarote’s history is not simply to read about it, but to travel around the island. The places you visit then stop being just points on a map – they become chapters of the same story.
Majos, pirates, volcanoes, vineyards, ports, Manrique… The Lanzarote we see today has been shaped over centuries.