Las leyendas
One of the most famous legends of the Islands is the story of Gara, recreated by Alfredo Palmero in Imagina Guanches. The tale tells of the impossible love between Gara, a princess from La Gomera, and Jonay, the son of the Mencey of Adeje. Gara was the princess of Agulo, “the place of water,” while Jonay was pure fire, coming from the Guanche island of hell (Teide). It was declared that their love was impossible and would bring great misfortune, so they were ordered never to see each other again. But Jonay, defying this command, crossed the sea using animal bladders as floats in search of his beloved, and together they fled. After declaring their love, they were surrounded, and then they placed between them a sharp and deadly cedar staff, thus uniting their hearts forever. Gara, princess of water, and Jonay, prince of fire, now give their names to the highest peak of La Gomera and to Garajonay National Park.
Another legend recreated by Alfredo Palmero is that of Guayota the Evil One. The Guanche people, who were dedicated to agriculture and livestock, believed in Achamán, the benevolent god, and in Guayota, the evil demon who lived inside Echeyde (Teide). One day, the evil demon, jealous of the warmth of Magec, the god of light and the sun, kidnapped him and locked him in the deepest part of Echeyde with his immense fire. And the whole world, without the god of light and the sun, was plunged into absolute darkness. The Guanches then pleaded for mercy from their god Achamán, who, armed with his powerful lightning bolts, decided to put an end to the darkness in a fierce battle of lightning and fire between Achamán and Guayota. The victor of this struggle was not Guayota, but Achamán, who imprisoned the demon inside Echeyde and rescued Magec from its depths so that he could once again illuminate the entire world with his warm rays. The “Pan de Azúcar,” the whitish cone that crowns Teide, is the plug that Achamán placed on the crater with Guayota trapped inside. Since then, Guayota has remained imprisoned in the depths of Teide, where he can still be heard breathing and moving beneath the earth.
Another legend recreated by Alfredo Palmero is that of Guayota the Evil One. The Guanche people, who were dedicated to agriculture and livestock,
Alfredo Palmero alongside the recreation of Ziday, goddess of the sea (left), and Ramagua, daughter of Bencomo (right).
Finally, we highlight the legend of Princess Ico. During the time of the conquest, a fair-haired captain named Don Martín Ruiz de Avendaño arrived peacefully in Arrecife, Lanzarote. King Zonzomas invited him into his home, where Queen Fayna—recreated by Alfredo Palmero in Imagina Guanches—and their children, Timanfaya and Guanareme, were staying. The captain spent some time with the family, and nine months after his departure, Queen Fayna gave birth to a fair-skinned, blonde-haired girl whom they named Ico.
The girl grew up under the care of her nurse, Uga, far from the whispers of the people. After the deaths of King Zonzomas and Queen Fayna, Timanfaya proclaimed himself king, and his brother Guanareme took Princess Ico as his wife. Later, other ships arrived on the island and captured King Timanfaya, and as a result, his brother Guanareme declared himself king.
At that moment, the queen’s lineage was called into question, and to prove her nobility, she was locked inside a house filled with smoke along with a group of women to see if she would survive. According to the legend, Uga secretly brought a sponge soaked in water to Ico, and thanks to this, the queen survived. From that day on, the people never again questioned her nobility.
