Tinerfe facts for kids
Tinerfe "the Great" was a legendary leader of the Guanche people. The Guanches were the native people who lived on the island of Tenerife. This island is part of the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain. Tinerfe was a mencey, which means he was a king or chief of his people. People believe he lived around the late 1300s.
Tinerfe's Life and Family
Tinerfe was the son of another mencey named Sunta. Sunta ruled the island before the Castilian people arrived. Tinerfe the Great lived in a place called Adeje. This was the home of all the kings before him. He lived about 100 years before the Castilians conquered the island in 1494.
Dividing the Island
After Tinerfe died, his sons divided the island of Tenerife. They split it into nine separate kingdoms. When the Castilians arrived, these nine kingdoms each had their own king.
Here are the names of Tinerfe's sons and the kingdoms they ruled:
- Acaimo or Acaymo: He was the king of Menceyato de Tacoronte.
- Adjona: He was the king of Menceyato de Abona.
- Añaterve: He was the king of Menceyato de Güímar.
- Bencomo: He was the king of Menceyato de Taoro.
- Beneharo: He was the king of Menceyato de Anaga.
- Pelicar: He was the king of Menceyato de Icode.
- Pelinor: He was the king of Menceyato de Adeje.
- Romen: He was the king of Menceyato de Daute.
- Tegueste: He was the king of Menceyato de Tegueste.
Tinerfe's Name and the Island
Some historians from the 1700s, like Juan Núñez de la Peña and Tomás Arias Marín de Cubas, believed something interesting. They thought that the name of the island, Tenerife, might have come from the name Tinerfe himself.
See also
In Spanish: Tinerfe para niños
