Taoro was one of nine
Guanche Guanche may refer to:
*Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands
*Guanche language
Guanche is an extinct language that was spoken by the Guanches of the Canary Islands until the 16th or 17th century. It died out after the conquest ...
menceyatos (native kingdoms) in which the island of
Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
(
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
) was divided at the time of the arrival of the conquering Spaniards.
Taoro was considered the most powerful aboriginal kingdom on the island. It spanned the existing municipalities of
Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Port of the Cross", although now it is known by its Spanish name in all lang ...
,
La Orotava
La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...
,
La Victoria de Acentejo
La Victoria de Acentejo is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is located near the north coast, 2 km southwest of La Matanza de Acentejo, 7 km northeast of La Orotava and 22&nbs ...
,
La Matanza de Acentejo
La Matanza de Acentejo is a town near the north coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is located 10 km east of Puerto de la Cruz, and about 20 km west of the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its name means "the Slaughter o ...
,
Los Realejos
Los Realejos is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, which is the biggest of the Canary Islands. It is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The town is located from the north coast, southw ...
and
Santa Úrsula
Santa Úrsula (; named after Saint Ursula) is a town and a municipality on the north coast of Tenerife. It is located 6 km east of Puerto de la Cruz and 24 km west of the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The population is 14,54 ...
. Its ''mencey'' (King) at the time of the Spanish arrival was
Bencomo
Bencomo (; 1438 – 1495) was the penultimate ''mencey'' or king of Taoro, a Guanche ''menceyato'' on the island of Tenerife. He fought in the First Battle of Acentejo, a victory for the Guanches against the invading Castilians, after having refu ...
and the final mencey was
Bentor
Bentor ( 1463 – February 1495), sometimes also called Ventor, Bentore, Benytomo, or Bentorey, was the last mencey or king of Taoro from November 1494 until his suicide in February 1495. A native Guanche prince in the Canary Islands during ...
, who ruled the kingdom from November 1495 until his suicide in February 1496.
Conquista y antiguedades de las islas de la Gran Canaria y su descripción, con muchas advertencias de sus privilegios, conquistadores, pobladores, y otras particularidades en la muy poderosa isla de Tenerife
(Trad.Spa :"''La conquista e i reperti delle isole Gran Canaria con la loro descrizione, sui privilegi, i conquistatori, i coloni, e altre caratteristiche della potente isola di Tenerife''")
References
External links
Taoro
Former kingdoms