Cave of the Guanches

A protected archaeological site in the municipality of Icod de los Vinos on the north coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, designated as a Bien de Interes Cultural. The cave complex of connected chambers preserves the earliest known Guanche settlements on Tenerife, with ceramics dated to the 6th century BCE providing the oldest chronologies in the Canary Islands. Researchers believe it served as a residence for the menceyes, the traditional Guanche leaders. Excavations yielded hand-made pottery, bone awls, caprid remains, marine shells, and a human mandible. Finds are held in the Museo Guanche in Icod de los Vinos and the British Museum.