Guatimac or the Idol of Guatimac is an owl-shaped

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands *Guanche language, an extinct Berber language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century *''Conus guanche ''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a ma ...

cult image, found in 1885, hidden in a cave between the municipalities of

Fasnia Fasnia is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The municipality extends for from the mountainous interior to the beaches ...

and

Güímar Güímar () is the name of a municipality, town and valley in the eastern part of the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (province). The municipality extends for 102.9 square kilometers from ...

(

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,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) wrapped in goat hide.

Characteristics

The idol, made from

fired clay Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of alumin ...

, is incomplete, with two appendages missing from its head. It bears a hole next to its neck, presumably to pass a strap through and wear it as an amulet. This type of cult image was used by the aboriginal priestly castes of the Kankus, who were responsible with the worship of ancestor spirits, and the Guañameñes, the high priests. Along with Guatimac, numerous Guanche mummies were found at the cave in the midst of the 19th century. Despite its small size, only about 6.4 centimeters in height, it is a figure of great anthropological value, since it is one of the few idols of prehistorical Tenerife that survived to the modern day. Today, the figurine can be seen at the

Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz The Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz ( es, Museo Arqueológico del Puerto de la Cruz) is a small archaeological museum located in the town of Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). One of the most important local museums, ...

Interpretation

Although its exact meaning cannot be known for certain, it seems to be related to the religious world of the Guanches. It is believed by some that it represents a type of jinn or protective spirit, but others hold that it is an animal or sacred totem, possibly an owl. Guatimac can be considered an asexual idol, that is to say, it is a human figure without distinguishing sexual characteristics. Other historians maintain the position that it represents and animal, perhaps an owl, and therefore classify it as a zoomorphic figurine (bearing the shape of an animal). Guatimac represents a rarity within the idols of the Canary Islands, since it has no parallels within the rest of the remains of the extinct Guanche culture. However, rock carvings representing a certain type of evil

Jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...

s, the ''Yenum'' or ''Jenun'', have been found in desert caves within the Berber cultural zone of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. The Berber tribes believe the Yenum to inhabit the interior of the earth and caves. Their representations bear striking resemblance to the idol of Guatimac. Since the Guanches are identified as Berbers themselves, originating from North Africa, the idol could represent a general idea that exists throughout the Berber cultural sphere. However, the fact that no similar figures has been found in the Canary Islands, or even around the island of Tenerife itself remains an enigma. Despite this, according to different sources, other figurines have indeed been found in Tenerife, but whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

Description

One of the first historians to deal with the subject of the Guanche idols was the '' tinerfeño'' . He offers us this description of the idol's discovery and subsequent study:La idolatría en el pueblo guanche
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Las manifestaciones artísticas prehispánicas y su huella
Guanche Archaeological artefact types Archaeology of Tenerife 1885 archaeological discoveries Cult images Owls in culture Clay Birds in art