Mysteries and legends of Tenerife

Legends and mysteries have always been present in the folk culture of Tenerife. The Canary Islands in general, an archipelago in the middle of the ocean between two continents, has been throughout its history, the focus of many stories. Some of them still survive and have passed down from generation to generation, based on beliefs to some or imagination to others. What follows is an overview of the most popular legends of Tenerife.

Guayota, the demon that lives in Teide

The natives of Tenerife believed that Guayota was an evil demon living in the bowels of Teide. According to the beliefs of the time, he was the one that was awakening the volcano, spreading fire, lava and ash over the island. His name means “Destroyer”. I last wrote about Guayota (click link for story) in 2014 when I talked about how he kidnapped Magec and imprisoned him in the volcano. If you visit the National Park, you can meet Guayota. In the visitor centre, you can watch a short documentary that explains the history of the highest mountain in Spain and this “evil entity”.

The Barranco de Badajoz

Among Tenerife legends are the mysterious events experienced by people who visited the Barranco de Badajoz, located in Güimar. Among the inexplicable phenomena, some people claim to have witnessed are: if you are there at night, in certain points of the barranco time stands still, since clocks and watches stop working.

One of the most famous stories told is about a girl who went to the barranco for fruit and disappeared. Afterwards, the whole area was searched without success. However, decades later, the girl appeared again looking exactly as she did when she disappeared. For the girl, it had only been a few hours, even though in real time 20 years had passed.

Other phenomena reported by visitors to the Barranco de Badajoz, is the sighting of UFOs and very tall creatures dressed completely in white.

The mysterious island of San Borondón

This legend does not exist only in Tenerife but in all of the Canary Islands. I wrote about it back in 2013,  my version is HERE

A story in the style of the famous series “Lost” or “Perdidos” as it is known in Spanish talks about the island of San Borondon, of which exist numerous documents. The island even appeared in official maps and charts of the time. According to stories, the island is located in two different areas, sometimes south of Tenerife and sometimes between the islands of El Hierro and La Palma. There are still people alive who claim to have seen the mysterious island. Myth or reality? The truth is that this legend is one of the best known on the Canary Islands and even today remains shrouded in mystery.

UFOs at Teide

Returning to Teide, many witnesses claim to have seen UFOs. In 1989, 10,000 people gathered in the National Park, following a call by National Radio of Spain the Civil Government and the Cabildo of Tenerife, to try to see these phenomena. In addition, national and foreign media came and performed the first live broadcast. Sadly nothing strange was spotted, however, the event was an excellent marketing strategy for the radio program.

Check Queenie’s Daily Snippets for Tenerife news & events