The archaeological social group, led in Tenerife by Sixto García, reports, via Canarias Ahora, a Fresh case of “irreparable” harm in a Guanche site in the southern part of the island, a situation that has been ongoing for years and has been brought to the attention of the Heritage Unit of the Island Council and the respective municipal councils. On this occasion, following a meeting last Monday with the councillor for the Granadilla de Abona area, Óscar Delgado Melo, Sixto García condemns the incident involving “significant rock art display in this municipality, where three anthropomorphic figures (human shapes, as seen in the photos) have suffered irreparable damage due to continuous motocross and horseback riding activities prevalent in the area,” located in a spot that, in order to prevent further harm by other irresponsible individuals, he chooses not to disclose.
García briefed the Councillor for Urban Planning, Historical and Artistic Heritage, and Good Governance of Granadilla on the event and, most importantly, expressed his disappointment that this site was not safeguarded, marked off, and equipped with information signs to prevent such incidents.
As per statements provided to Canarias Ahora, these are “especially valuable engravings, as they portray a specific type of anthropomorphic figure typical of Tenerife, distinguished by their size, shape, and location. It is believed that these three figures depict a Guanche family within a sacred area that, if researched adequately, could yield substantial insights into the ceremonial practices and beliefs of the island’s ancient inhabitants. A heritage that endows the current Canarian populace with a distinctive wealth of identity, both tangible and intangible, globally,” he underscores.
During his discussion with the councillor, he highlighted the “disturbing state of the archaeological heritage and the escalating concerns of our social archaeology group, along with other environmental organisations, regarding the recurrent attacks and disturbances to the indigenous material heritage experienced in the municipality. Regrettably, such scenarios are continuously recurring across the rest of the island.” Recently, this group also raised awareness of the significant repercussions of a hunting competition in another area of Granadilla, resulting in numerous fragments of ceramic plates obliterated by gunfire near a region designated as a Natural Monument, housing Guanche dwellings. Furthermore, he urged the councillor to “honour his pledge towards the comprehensive compilation of an archaeological inventory for the municipality, a task that should have been accomplished years ago.”
This group denounces that, “in addition to the absence of awareness, the failure to implement effective protective measures, and the detrimental urban development policies enforced over the past decades within the region, there is the unregulated engagement in activities such as motocross, remote-controlled car tracks, cycling, horse riding, and others in unmarked spaces possessing significant environmental and archaeological worth.”
García deems it imperative that the councillor has once more committed to finalising the local archaeological inventory and has indicated his “willingness to consider inputs from various social activist groups to enhance the situation and address the current dearth of protection and neglect.”
In this vein, his group persistently criticises the motor circuit in Atogo, “the deplorable condition of the Protected Natural Area of the Ifara mountain, along with uncontrolled practices in other jeopardised regions boasting substantial archaeological and natural value, dark spots necessitating immediate intervention from the diverse municipal councils, particularly in a region as delicate as Abona, progressively deteriorating into a territory littered with landfills, solar farms, high-voltage towers, and wind turbines under the control of conglomerates. An indictment facilitated by the assorted local administrations, ultimately responsible for implementing measures and halting the rapid decay of a landscape teeming with ecological and heritage significance, morphed into a leisure yard where anything is permissible.”
García further urges citizens “to persist in lodging reports and complaints with the relevant authorities, as these pressure tactics are what ultimately prompt progress and commitments from the authorities. Just this June, technicians from the Island Council’s heritage sector documented four new sites at our group’s behest. Only a populace cognisant of their genuine worth of identity can prevent our matchless and unreproducible indigenous heritage from vanishing forever, along with the memory of an age-old culture that renders us distinctive on the globe.”
