The stepped pyramids of Guimar, located in the north-eastern part of Tenerife, can be called without exaggeration the most controversial attraction of this island. The exact date of their foundation is still unknown. The method by which they were created also remains a mystery. Scientists are still debating whether these stone mounds are a sacred structure built in the time of the Guanches, or a more modern building that does not carry any historical value. So what are these mounds and why are they visited annually by more than 100 thousand people?
General information
The Guimar Pyramids, named after the city of the same name and located at the intersection of Onduras and Chacona Streets, are an unusual architectural complex, each structure of which has clearly verified geometric shapes. It is believed that initially there were at least 9 mounds in this part of the island, but only 6 have survived to this day.They formed the basis of a large Ethnographic park created in 1998 by Thor Heyerdahl, a famous Norwegian archaeologist, writer and traveler.
The main feature of these mounds, whose height reaches 12 m, and the length of the faces varies from 15 to 80, is a clearly defined astronomical orientation. So, on the days of the summer solstice, from the platform equipped at the top of the largest structure, you can watch the double sunset, which first disappears behind the mountain peak,and then reappears, only to disappear after a few minutes behind the second rock. As for the winter solstice, on the western side of each pyramid there is a special staircase that will lead you exactly to the rising sun.
Another interesting fact is connected with the history of this park. If you look at it from space, you can see that all the objects are in a certain order, the appearance of which resembles a giant drawing. Interestingly, most of the structures have survived to our times in their original form. The only exception was pyramids No. 5 and 6, which in the late 90s of the last century were subjected to large-scale reconstruction. By the way, at about the same time, archaeological excavations were carried out on the territory of the complex, initiated by archaeologists of the University of La Laguna. In the course of this work, several interesting artifacts were found dating back to 680-1020 AD (remnants of household utensils, vines, ceramics, human bones, etc.). However, none of these finds allowed scientists to establish at least an approximate time of the appearance of these mounds.
Whatever it was, and today the Ethnographic Park “Piramides de Güimar”, whose area exceeds 60 thousand square meters.m, is one of the most visited attractions of the island of Tenerife. In 2017, it was awarded the title of Botanical Garden and became one of the 5 official arboretums belonging to the Canary Archipelago. Now there are several tourist routes connected with the nature, culture and history of Tenerife.
Pyramid creation theories
Despite numerous studies conducted by the world’s best experts, the exact origin of the pyramids of Guimar (Tenerife) remains unknown. Moreover, scientists put forward several hypotheses that are not related to each other. Let’s consider only the main ones.
Version #1-Architectural
Tur Heyerdahl, who has devoted no year of his life to studying this phenomenon, claims that one of the main attractions of Tenerife is one of the most important achievements of the ancient civilization that existed on the Atlantic coast hundreds of years ago. His words are confirmed by the obvious similarity of the Guimara mounds with architectural structures built in the Old and New World. The famous traveler managed not only to find clear traces of processing on the corner stones, but also to find out that the main building material for these structures was nothing more than frozen volcanic lava. In addition, Heyerdahl was able to find out that the local caves were inhabited by tribes of Guanches, Canarian aborigines. Perhaps they were the authors of this structure.
Version # 2 – Ethnographic
Another popular theory linking the appearance of Piramides de Güimar with the name of Antonio Diaz-Flores, a wealthy landowner who lived in this part of the island in the mid-19th century. Exactly how they were built is not known for certain, but the fact that this happened during the life of the landowner does not raise any doubts. The fact is that in the documents on the purchase of a land plot dating back to 1854, there is not a word about the mounds, while in the will drawn up by Diaz-Flores 18 years later, they are mentioned far more than once.
Version #3-Agricultural
According to this theory, the Guimar pyramids in the Canary Islands were created in the second half of the 19th century, when farmers were preparing the land for sowing, piled stones found in the fields on top of each other. However, ancient images found during archaeological excavations indicate that similar structures could be seen not only here, but also in other parts of Tenerife. Moreover, even in those where no traces of human activity were found. Local residents claim that over time, most of them were dismantled and used as cheap building materials.
What to see in the park?
In addition to the mounds themselves, there are several other interesting places on the territory of the complex:
- The Chacona House Museum is a curious place, with expositions devoted to objects of ancient Peruvian worship, Heyerdahl’s theory of the parallelism of cultures, and other civilizations in which similar pyramids are found. Right at the entrance to the museum stands a statue of Kon-Tiki, the ancient sun god, and in one of the halls – a reed ship of the Aymara Indians, found during archaeological excavations.;
- The conference hall-auditorium, designed for 164 people, is located in a semi-underground building designed several years ago. Currently, they are showing a documentary about the amazing coincidences between cultures of different peoples and showing an exhibition about the life and work of Thor Heyerdahl.;
- Botanical Garden-contains more than 30 species of endemic plants found on the territory of the Canary Islands, and a huge number of poisonous plants collected from all over the world. Almost every botanical specimen has an information plate that tells about its properties and origin.;
- Tropicarium is a botanical project dedicated to exotic and carnivorous plants. Here you can see many amazing objects imported from all corners of the earth and planted in the landscape of volcanic rocks.
- Exhibition ” Colonization of Polynesia. Rapa Nui: Extreme Survival ” – combines two large exhibitions dedicated to navigation, the discovery of Pacific islands and the main achievements of Polynesian tribes living on Easter Island;
Practical information
The Pyramids of Guimar (Tenerife) are open daily from 09: 30 to 18: 00. The cost of a visit depends on the ticket type and age of the user:
| Ticket type | Adult | Child(7-12 years old) | Student’s Account(up to 30 years old) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (full) | 18€ | 6,50€ | 13,50€ |
| Park entrance + The Poison Garden | 16€ | 6€ | 12€ |
| Park entrance + Colonization of Polynesia | 16€ | 6€ | 12€ |
| Only pyramids | 12,50€ | 6,50€ | 9,90€ |
The ticket is valid for 6 months from the date of purchase, but it cannot be returned. For more information, please visit the official website of the complex — http://www.piramidesdeguimar.es/ru
Useful tips
When going to see the pyramids of Guimar, listen to the recommendations of tourists who have already visited there:
- Be sure to take an audio guide – you will learn a lot of interesting things. The tour lasts 1.5 hours and is available in Russian.
- You can go with your children to explore one of the main attractions of the island. First of all, a walk through this place promises to be quite interesting. Secondly, there is a large children’s playground right at the entrance, and the local cafe “Kon-Tiki” has a special game room.
- By the way, you can have a snack not only there. There is a good restaurant just a few meters from the park, and a picnic area can be found near the museum.
- There is also an on-site information office and a small shop where you can buy original souvenirs and other memorabilia.
- If there are no available parking spaces in the local parking lot, drive along the fence. Just a few meters away there is another parking lot.
- Do you want to see Piramides de Güimar absolutely for free? Come here during the winter and summer solstices in the late afternoon.
