The Enigmatic Stature of Men from the Canary Islands

Since the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, adult men from Canary Islands, which was then one of the poorest regions in the country, had a height comparable to that of the most developed populations in the world and, in 1934, their average height reached 167.4 centimeters, compared to the Spanish average of 164.5.

These data come from a research project in historical anthropometry at a national level involving universities from the Basque Country, Zaragoza, Santander, Madrid, Barcelona, Extremadura, Murcia, Andalucía, Castilla La Mancha, and La Laguna, in the case of the Canary Islands, and it will continue until 2025.

The study has been funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and, for the case of the archipelago, data from 6,333 male heights measured between 1880 and 1936 with standardized sizes at ages between 18 and 20 years have been analyzed, as they come from different enlistments of young men called up for military service.

The researcher specifies that the study has focused on male height as there were no available sources regarding female height, and the work has also analyzed to what extent nutritional stress situations affected height growth between 1860 and 1930.

Changing Habits

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The data correspond to young men from La Orotava and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife, Santa Cruz de La Palma, and San Bartolomé in Lanzarote, but the study will be extended to Gran Canaria, La Gomera, and El Hierro, as stated in an interview with EFE by Cándido Román-Cervantes, director of the Cajasiete Chair in Social Economy and Cooperative at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism of the University of La Laguna.

Regarding this, Cándido Román-Cervantes details that it is about studying the adult male height at the beginning of the nutritional transition, that is, the period from the late 19th century to the early 20th, when dietary habits in Western societies changed following the Industrial Revolution.

The arrival of food preservation technology and refrigeration, along with improved transportation, enabled access to a richer and more varied diet, and height is a good indicator of income and wealth, health, and cognitive development.

Lack of Data on Women

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The researcher points out that the study has focused on male height as there were no available sources on female height, and the work has also analyzed to what extent nutritional stress situations affected height growth between 1860 and 1930.

Various studies with male height data from the early 20th century have shown that the Canary Islands, at that time one of the poorest regions, hosted taller heights compared to the Spanish average, and the average height of recruits aged 18-20 between 1858 and 1915-29 showed that the height recorded by islanders was the highest in Spain, around 165 centimeters, when the Spanish average was between 161 and 163.

Previously, between 1883 and 1886, the average height of Canary soldiers —estimated at 165.6 centimeters— was among the highest in Spain, after Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya, and 2 centimeters above the Spanish average.

Superior Height Throughout the 20th Century

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By the end of the analyzed period (1926-1934), the average height of Canary men had increased by several centimeters and reached 167.4 cm compared to the Spanish average of 164.5.

The results indicate that taller heights were the norm in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and the height premium of Canarians over the Spanish average is maintained throughout the 20th century and is shared by Basques and Catalans.

Differences with the Spanish average are observed in the 1860s and remain constant over time, and despite fluctuations, progress in island heights is significant, showing an average increase of 2.4 cm between the cohorts of 1860 and 1915, although it was in 1881-1885 when the greatest difference was recorded, with an increase of 3.9 centimeters in favor of the Canarians.

Contrasts among islands

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Despite the advantage of the Canarian stature, the data suggests differences among the populations of the islands. San Bartolomé – the most eastern population of the islands – stands out from the rest by presenting slightly shorter heights significantly in the cohorts from the 1866-1875 decade.

By the late 1860s, the height differences between the rural population of Lanzarote and the urban population of Tenerife are 4.3 centimeters. Throughout the period, San Bartolomé records an average height of 165.7 cm.

On the other hand, the average heights of the western populations are higher: 166.2 cm in La Orotava; 167.9 cm in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 167.4 cm in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

An enigma for a poor region

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The significant decline in height recorded in the late 1860s and early 1870s is more pronounced in rural populations. After the crisis of the cochineal and cereals in the 1880s, a new agricultural cycle gained strength due to the spread of new alternative crops, leading to the recovery of the average height, increasing by 1.8 cm. Therefore, the average height of cohorts born between 1886-1890 and 1911-1915 rose from 166.5 to 168.3 cm.

“The interesting aspect for the Canary Islands is that young men from the late 19th to early 20th century have heights comparable to the most developed populations on the planet, such as Canada, the Netherlands, and the Basque Country,” states Cándido Román-Cervantes.

Cándido Román-Cervantes / Ramón de la Rocha

Environmental factors, diverse diet, and gofio

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The hypothesis being considered revolves around the environmental factor: the mild climate, constant exposure to sunlight, a diversified diet that allowed relatively short distances to access seafood, fruits and vegetables, and therefore, gofio.

In contrast, in populations with a diet based solely on cereals without other supplements, such as the Castilians, heights were “very low,” and Román-Cervantes emphasizes that probably the increase in Canarian height is more affected by environmental variables than genetics, as by the late 19th century, there is minimal contribution from the ancient Canarians.

However, the researcher highlights that they are currently analysing the data from El Hierro, which is expected to be “quite surprising.” To the extent that they will break the trend of the other islands by noticing a lower average height among the young men, probably due to remoteness, scarcity of nutritional resources, and endogamy.