"...Today the smell shore caught it very early, he realized that he hears it in his sleep, and went to bed, to see the white tops of cliffs rising from the sea, the harbour and the Bay of the Canary Islands". These lines Hemingway, taken from the novel "the Old man and the sea", perhaps the most expressive in all the literature on the Canary Islands. Lying at the crossroads, Islands firmly established in the sailing directions and notes seafarers in the tourist and trade directories. Their beauty not once sang ancient. To the shores of the Canary Islands stuck galleys of the Cretans and the Phoenicians, the Greek pyatidesyatiletiya and Roman tribes of liburni. ...Early in the morning if humid ocean wind does not bring from the North Atlantic grey rain clouds and Sugar not recalls its presence clouds of yellow sand, on the Moroccan coast you can see a white on the horizon cap eternal snows of El Teide, the largest mountains of the Canary archipelago. Dazzling top of the volcano is visible from the side of the ocean. It became a beacon for the first Spanish captains 575 years ago...

The whole world knows that in 1492, Genoese sailor Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic and set foot on American soil. But American Indians were the first victims of European colonization. A hundred years before the Cortes Canary Islands lying off the North-Western coast of Africa, were the scene of fierce fighter of the war, proved fatal to the Guanches, the indigenous population of a small splinter of land in the Atlantic. The genocide experienced a century later on many tribes and peoples of the world, was first demonstrated here in the Canaries. Since then - and it's been almost 600 years - there is a secret of the Guanches. Six centuries remains an unsolved mystery in this small, freedom-loving and courageous people.

For several centuries the study of the indigenous population of the Canary Islands has developed a system of hypotheses about possible homeland of the Guanches. It all began with discoveries in the last century skull CRO-magnon man. Anthropologists have found out in it a complete similarity with the skulls of the Guanches. However, subsequent excavations on the island threw the scientists in question. It turned out that, in addition to the CRO-magnon type, there existed a few, among them - Nordic delivered to specialists most trouble. Oxford expedition has found that the mummified of the Guanches are blood indicating a significant genetic contribution from North-Western Europe. But these data still require verification. Exactly the same proven only one thing: the ancient Guanches were related, and fairly close, with the indigenous population of North Africa, especially with the inhabitants of the Moroccan Atlas. Another Spanish chronicler Espinosa wrote in the XV century "skin Color inhabitants of Tenerife rather dark from the mixing of blood and from the climate, and they're almost naked, but in the North it is light and delicate, and long hair".

The monument to the Guanches the Canaries

Neighbouring Canary Islands region Africa the Moroccan Atlas, according to scientists, is one of the centers of distribution of blondes. In those ancient times, the island was even more. Russian anthropologist academician Century Alekseev considered that the presence of many bright people in the population of North Africa long before the arrival of the vandals and vitality of blondism" allow to consider light population of the Canary Islands as the Western branch of the Libyan race, captured in the figures of the era of the New Kingdom in Ancient Egypt. But who is still portrayed the Egyptians? Local, Moroccan "blond" or came here in the II Millennium BC, "peoples of the sea" - Europeans with blue eyes and blond hair? Assuming the latter, then explains and European "impurity" of the ancient Guanches: after the unsuccessful campaign against Egypt warriors (and part of them could be the Nordic) moved through the Sahara to the Atlantic on the way assimilated with the local tribes and moved to the Canary Islands.

However, this is the most recent calculations, and the first theory began to emerge at the end of the last century. For times like this.

By that time, as vandals crossed Gibraltar and established in Africa, she was already well known to the ancients. After the fall of the deteriorated state of the people, knowing the wilderness in the South, moved there, fled from the persecution of enemies and after long wanderings was between the mountains and sea. They fought with the Berbers, but they pushed the vandals further and further South. Impregnable Atlas did not let them move into the continent, forcing to go along the coast. The slopes of the mountains fugitives could not fail to notice the snowy peaks of El Teide. Building barges, they moved to the Islands... this Is the version. The exact materials, confirming its reliability, no. But there are some interesting data collected in the last century German traveler, Rolfson. Near Ceuta, near Gibraltar, he found the old Germanic burial grounds. After the Atlantic coast to the South, he found similar facilities at the shore at the latitude of the Canary Islands. The Arabs and Berbers never like this built... And then there's just found the following lines in one of the few written sources on the history of the vandals - Procopius Zatariski writes that heard the stories of the desert country, in which people lived with skin not as from the Moors, with a white body and yellow hair." Maybe it was the same 400 vandals, who, as is known, was built on the island of Lesbos ships reached Syria, and then went into the Libyan desert?

By the time of the conquest normanda Jean de Betancourt - first "gravedigger" of the Guanches - part Canar all seven large Islands were inhabited. The Foundation of agriculture residents were cereals. The grain was milled on manual mills, surprisingly reminiscent of the same fixture in Ancient Egypt and culture of the Ibero-moor. The Canarian people kept domesticated animals: goats, sheep, pigs and dogs. The last interesting fact is used to protect the local nobility. Islanders knew not iron. Stone tools were processed rarely, they barely veiled stress marks. It is interesting to note that most of the products available on the Islands, reminds Mexican... the Main instrument of the ancients of the Canarian people were wooden spears, clubs and stones for throwing. The same tools are now among the ancient Libyans. Residents of some Islands were decorated with hair, feathers, this tradition can be traced from the Iberians and the Libyans. The Guanches are widely practiced tattoo. For it was used, apparently, those print-Pontedera, about which so many now argue scientists. Found on Gran Canaria. Scientists was bewildered by the strange geography of their distribution: in addition to the Canaries Pontedera found in Northern Italy, Northern Africa and Colombia.... More of them are nowhere. If in the Old World they could spread from one center, how to be with the New world? No answer yet.

The Canarian people there were notable for the custom of "feeding" brides before the wedding. It was considered that a complete woman can give birth to large, strong child. The groom paid the bride price cattle. This custom still exists in the tribe of Djerba in North Africa (oasis Tuat). So, outlines some Parallels... But among the problems that the Guanches raised has some of the most intractable"...

The Guanches - island nation. But amazingly, no one, even the earliest, the chronicle is no mention of any craft of the Canarian people - no boats or ships. On the Islands there was not even a coasting voyage. This question is a real stumbling block in studying the problems of the Guanches, for, as it turned out, they are the world's only island nation, with no seafaring skills. This paradoxical fact try to explain differently. Some refer to some kind of a cult associated with the sea. Others try to justify the Canarian people that the Canaries have allegedly been building material. "But this is absurd, -they object to the third, on the Islands were always forests and goat skins, and offer you my version: Guanches - descendants of the forcibly displaced on the island Saharan tribe who never knew the sea. And not surprisingly, they noted that the islanders took caravels Betancourt for unprecedented giant birds...

Struck researchers and the other is the ancient custom of the Canarian people to modificirovat the bodies of the dead. In 1806 A. Humboldt reported in the letters from the Canary Islands that have found many mummies of the Guanches, filled with fragrant herbs. As a scientist, who travelled to South America in the middle of the last century, have found similar plants in the Inca mummies near lake Titicaca. Strange coincidence... the Englishman Dr. G. Elliott-Smith indicates at the same time, at the close similarity of methods mummification the Guanches and the ancient Egyptians... Prepared in appropriate way the body was wrapped in sheepskin, firmly tied with straps and was placed in a special grottoes. These caves are still found on the Canary Islands. Maybe one of them is the key to solving the mystery?

One of the main problems for researchers Canar remains a mystery language of their inhabitants. Even the first chroniclers of the archipelago on the basis of several recorded their phrases identified the language of the Guanches with Berber language. Indeed, the matches in both languages enough, but even more differences. Much have we moved forward modern linguists in comparison with the medieval chroniclers? Very slightly. Only one thing is clear: reflections on the language of the Canarian people may now be at a level far removed from the true scientific, after all, still don't have any satisfactory description of their language or dictionaries.

Another surprise was waiting for scientists on the rocks of the Canary Islands - the mysterious rock drawings... Are they in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, palm. But most of all labels on Hierro, most remote island of the archipelago. Who left them? What language are they written? What is the meaning? In General, at its mark inscriptions resemble Western Saharan. They are a little similar to the Libyan letter. But there is something Numidian writing. And can be, inscriptions Punic? Because of their similar letter strange signs on the rocks. And here is another finding: in Tenerife in the natural career discovered a small angular stone, also covered with marks. Scientists have identified its similarity with the Phoenician letter, which they saw in Carthage and southern Spain. The most amazing is the inscription engraved metal tool, but the Guanches, as you remember, knew not metal... Maybe they were left by the Phoenicians, who founded the Islands purple workshops? Everything is possible. As already mentioned, most of the inscriptions found on Hierro, the smallest and the most remote from the mainland to the island. What if this was some kind of end of the world for the ancient navigators? And they wanted there to leave their "autographs"?