PREHISTORY OF LANZAROTE

In times of the phoenician, the Canary Islands were called "Alizuth" which means joy and happiness, later, during the greek dominion, the name was changed into "Elysius Parayso" - land of illusions and joy.
Soon the islands were known as "Campos Elyseos" (Garden of Eden), a place they said, where people lived a sweet and peaceful live, never knowing rain or snow.
It didn't take long until poets and writers started to use "Campos Elyseos" for expressing the joy of the Happy Islands.

The origin of the name "Lanzarote" has quite a few theories:
-Antonio de Nebrija explaines, that Lanzarote is a union of two words "lanza-rota" (broken spear), due to the story that, when the conqueror Juan de Bethencourt stepped on the island, his spear broke. This theory is not very easy to proof, also it is unlikely, because in castillian it must be "lanza-quebrada" instead of "lanza-rota".
-Another theory says that Lanzarote in latin is a kind of resin or balsamic gum. On the island there are bushes called "Tabaybas" and they have a sweet thick juice, worthy to be eternalized.
-The most likely explanation is this one: in the XIII century there lived a genuese merciant called Lancilotto Maloxelo. He visited an island, called by the natives "Tytheroygatra". During 15 years he had a lot of trade with this place and probably it was him who named the island after himself: Lanzarote.

According to narrations of the first visitors to this lands, there where 6 Canary Islands, without counting 5 little ones that form the Chinijo-Archipelago. This can make us think, that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were only one island, because none of them (as well as Lobos) are actually named.

Long time ago, there was a great wall, dividing the entire island. We believe, that there existed two kingdoms.
Offerings took place, klimbing up the mountains and raising the hands up to the sky while pouring out milk pitchers. It is also known, that there existed a crown, which we suppose belonged to the first king of Lanzarote, who united the two kingdoms. This crown was made of goat-leather and decorated with sea-shells.

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This page has been made by Sarabel and Chino.

E-Mail: Sarabel y Chino