The Pirámides de Güímar

The Beginning

The existence of the Güímar step pyramids first came to wide public notice when an article was printed in a local newspaper in the early 1990’s.

The information reached the Norwegian anthropologist, Thor Heyerdahl, who is internationally renowned for his transoceanic voyages using vessels of prehistoric design and for his theories concerning human migrations.

Heyerdahl, who dedicated much of his life to researching the cultural origins of ancient civilisations throughout the world, carefully studied photographs of the Güímar Pyramids, and put forward the hypothesis that they had been built in accordance with the same architectural principles as those of both the Old and the New World. The similarity of the pyramids in Güímar to those in Sicily, Mexico, Mesopotamia, Polinesia and Peru induced Heyerdahl to come to Tenerife to study the structures at the site itself.

Various theories exist as to the origin and age of the pyramids. Prior to the arrival of Heyerdahl in Tenerife, two alternative theories were disputed. Some researchers maintained that they were mere heaps of stone left by farmers clearing the land for cultivation, while others claimed that these structures were related to esoteric beliefs. After Thor Heyerdahl´s investigations, some professional archaeologists began to relate the existence of the pyramids to pre-Hispanic civilisations on the island.

In 1991, the Archaeology Department of La Laguna University carried out the first excavations and the Canary Islands’ Astrophysical Institute looked into possible ancient astronomical relationships. These studies revealed that the pyramids were aligned to the winter and summer solstices.

The land on which the Pyramids stand had been earmarked for development in connection with a planned expansion in the upper part of the town, jeopardising the survival of the structures.

Thor Heyerdahl’s interest became a personal commitment when the site of the pyramids was purchased by the Fred. Olsen shipping company in order to protect the structures and create what is today the “Pirámides de Güímar” Ethnographic Park

A Voyage Through Cultures 

CUEVA CHACONA
Excavations were carried out in 1997-98 beneath Pyramid 1 by a team of American and Canarian archaeologists, leading to the discovery of an eight-metre long cave containing remains dating from the times of the Guanches, the pre- Hispanic inhabitants of the island (goat and fish bones, bodkins, earthenware fragments, stone objects and decorative beads from a necklace). The organic remains were dated using the Carbon-14 method by the Beta Laboratory in Miami. The final report concluded that the cave dated from a period between 680 and 1020 AD