The mystery of the island of Tenerife: who built the Guimar pyramids in the Canary Islands

On the island of Tenerife, which is part of the Canary Islands, there are unusual structures - stone pyramids of the city of Guimar. A number of researchers consider them to be a random pile of stones, while others, including the famous archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl, believe that these are ancient monuments of megalithic architecture.

The history of the Canary Islands, located west of Africa, has a lot of interesting details. For example, the Guanches, the natives of Tenerife, had fair skin and Caucasoid features. According to Arab travelers who discovered these islands in the 12th century, as well as Spaniards who visited the islands later, the Guanches had red or dark brown hair and light eyes. Mariners noted that the people who lived in the Canary Islands did not have shipbuilding and they also did not find traces of the navy. In addition, the features of the currents in this part of the Atlantic are such that it is more convenient to get to the Canary Islands from Europe and the Mediterranean than from the shores of Africa located closer. Therefore, the question of the primary settlement of the islands remains open.

The Canary Islands, located 115 kilometers from Africa, consist of 7 islands of volcanic origin, the largest of which is the island of Tenerife. It is on this island that the Guimar stone pyramids are located, which are the subject of discussions by many experts. In total, there are 6 pyramids on the island, although, according to contemporaries, there were more, but part of the pyramids was dismantled for local construction needs. According to the testimony of the sailor from Carthage Hannon the Navigator, who visited the Canary Islands in the 5th century BC, they were uninhabited, but there were already ruins of stone pyramids. This may indicate that the Guanches are not related to the construction of the pyramids. Buildings could be the creation of the ancient builders who once lived in Tenerife.

Guimar pyramids have a stepped shape and a rectangular base. All pyramids have different parameters, the length of the base is from 15 to 80 meters, and the height of the largest reaches 12 meters. Despite numerous studies, the exact age of the pyramids could not be established. The Norwegian scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl showed great interest in the Guimar pyramids. He spent a lot of time in Tenerife, studying mysterious buildings, and came to the conclusion that they were specially erected by the ancient inhabitants of Tenerife and are not an accidental mountain of stones that farmers removed from the fields, although this is what some researchers who do not see any value these buildings.

Thor Heyerdahl hypothesized that the Canary Islands were an intermediate point on the way from the Mediterranean to America. The Norwegian, along with a group of enthusiasts, traveled from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, breaking the Atlantic on a ship called Ra II, which was made according to ancient drawings. Thus, Heyerdahl proved the possibility of contact between the ancient inhabitants of the Old and New Worlds.

In addition, a Norwegian researcher found that the pyramids have some parameters that indicate that they are oriented to the cardinal points. All buildings on the west side have a staircase, the direction of which coincides with the sunrise point on the day of the winter solstice. Thanks to the efforts of Tour Heyerdahl and his supporters, the ethnological park Guimar Pyramids was organized in Tenerife, which is visited annually by thousands of tourists.

Watch the video: Güímar Pyramids of Güímar , Tenerife, Canary Islands .Пирамиды Гуимар (May 2024).