Two mummified Guanche children discovered inside cave on volcanic island of Tenerife

A pair of spider-hunters stumbled across the mummified remains of two babies that lived 500 years ago in a Tenerife cave. The mummified infants are believed to be Guanche children, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest which began in 1402.

The mummified infants are believed to be Guanche children, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands 
before the Spanish conquest which began in 1402 [Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

One child was wrapped in animal skin and is better preserved than the other, with soft tissue and organs in tact. The other infant is more degraded and only skeletal fragments remain. It is believed the cave is a burial site dating back to the 15th century. It is the first found on the island since 1969.

Sergio Marrero and Domingo Garcia, locals on the island, were looking for a rare white spider when they ventured inside the cave near the town of Guia de Isora in western Tenerife, Director of the Canarian Institute of Bioanthropology, Conrado Rodriguez-Maffiotte, said: 'The remains date before the 16th century for certain, but we need to carry out more tests to confirm that.'     

One child was wrapped in animal skin and is better preserved than the other, with soft tissue and organs in tact. 
The other infant is more degraded and only skeletal fragments remain 
[Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

The mummified Guanche infants are not believed to be twins but their relationship is still being determined
 through DNA analysis. Experts are also working on establishing their cause of death 
[Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

It was reported that animal remains were also found in the cave that is believed to be made from lava and sits 
at 4,500 feet (1,390 metres) above sea level [Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

The mummified Guanche infants are not believed to be twins but their relationship is still being determined through DNA analysis. Experts are also working on establishing their cause of death. Dr Rodriguez-Maffiote said: 'I have never seen a ritual burial of two babies together.'

It was reported that animal remains were also found in the cave that is believed to be made from lava and sits at 4,500 feet (1,390 metres) above sea level. Lava for the cave likely came from Mount Teide, the active volcano that sits atop the island in the archipelago of the west coast of Africa.

Lava for the cave likely came from Mount Teide, the active volcano that sits atop the island in the archipelago 
of the west coast of Africa [Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

The Guanche civilisation was eventually destroyed after the Spanish invaded the islands. They were hunter-gatherer
 tribes who lived a lifestyle much like it is supposed that people lived in the Stone Age and may have 
buried their dead in caves [Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife] 

Soldiers took Lanzarote and Fuerteventura quite easily, but the primitive inhabitants of the other five islands - Tenerife, 
Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro - fought back. Tenerife was the last to be conquered in 1496 
[Credit: CEN/Cabildo Tenerife]

The Guanche civilisation was eventually destroyed after the Spanish invaded the islands. Guanches were the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands. They were hunter-gatherer tribes who lived a lifestyle much like it is supposed that people lived in the Stone Age.

Soldiers took Lanzarote and Fuerteventura quite easily, but the primitive inhabitants of the other five islands - Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro - fought back. Tenerife was the last to be conquered in 1496.

In 2017, the first genome-wide data from the Guanches confirmed they were of North African origin. There are suggestions that the light-skinned people descended from the Berbers of North Africa, possibly Libya. It is believed that they migrated to the archipelago around 1,000 BC from North Africa.

What we do know of the mysterious people is derived from the work of Spanish Chroniclers and from archaeological discoveries.

Earlier this year, a studemt at the University of Dundee recreated the face of a Guanche woman who lived  more than 600 years ago using forensic techniques and 3D scanning. Karina Osswald recreated the face of a Guanche woman using her skull.

A woman who died more than 600 years ago, before the Canary archipelago was invaded by Spanish sailors,
was brought back to life using forensic techniques and 3D imaging. The civilisation went extinct
soon afterwards and little traces remain of the Gaunche people [Credit: PA]

She said: 'The true identity of the Guanche people has long remained a mystery – with the literary accounts of invading Spaniards being some of the only real information left about these intriguing indigenous people.

'During this project, I ended up learning so much about the Guanche and I hope her image will inspire others to find out more about this ancient population.'

Author: Joe Pinkstone | Source: DailyMail [December 09, 2018]