Gáldar
Gran Canaria
Bajada de las Guayarminas (Carretera General)
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Monumento a Las Tres Princesas o Guayarminas
Monument for the Three Princesses or Guayarminas
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Juan Borges Linares
1979 (1985)
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Description
Bronze statue of three women, one standing and to sitting. Depicted are the three guayarminas - infantes or princesses - who survived the castilian conquest of Gran Canaria which was ended in 1483.
- Tenesoya (Luisa de Betancor),
- Arminda Masequera (Catalina de Guzmán),
- La Guayarmina (Margarita Fernández Guanarteme)
These names, from the book Ruta escultórica Borges Linares (and the comment to a photo on Wikipedia Commons), do not agree with the text of the Ayuntamiento de Gáldar, see below.
Annotation
Historical sources mention on various occasions the princesses or guayarminas of Gáldar. But few agree in the number, the names and the relationship between them, the attempt to make a clear account is difficult and moves to some extent as legendary. The most commonly mentioned infantas, princesses or guayarminas are Arminda Mastegena, Thenesoya Vidina, and Massequera.
Others are of the opinion that Thenesoya was much more important than the others and therefore desereves an separated study, completing the trio with the enigmatic Infanta Benchara or Abenechara or even directly call any of them Guayarmina, the commonly accepted native term as equivalent of infanta or princess.
Anyway there are certainly three [? only two are discussed] princesses documented:
- Tehenesoya (Thenesora or Tenesoya) Vidina: Some make her the younger sister of the guanartemes ('kings') Guayasén the Good and Thenesor Semidán; others consider her as Guayasén's daughter. She was abducted into the 1470s, when she, according to the surviving account, was taking a bath on the coast of Arucas. She was taken to Teguise and christened Luisa and married to Maciot de Bethencourt, son of Maciot from Normandy, the former Lord of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and the mythical princess Ico of Lanzarote. Luisa went back to Gáldar twice. The first time before the end of the conquest in an exchange of hostages, but she returned again to her husband with great sorrow for the Galdar people. The second time after the conquest, and she lived there until her dead, being buried beside her husband in the Church of Cvto. de la Vega. Her tombstone is exhibited today in the Casa de Colón in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
- Arminda: Daughter of Guayasén Semidán the Good and the true heir to the throne of her father. Because of her young age and being unmarried she was forced to watch as her uncle Thenesor occupied the guanartemato instead of her. Gáldar imprisoned the guanarteme, and Arminda was taken as a symbol by the Canarian troops. After the last battles the girl-queen was delivered to the conquistador Pedro de Vera. Arminda was baptized in Las Palmas as guanarteme or Catalina Fernandez and was married three times residing in Gáldar most of her life. Finally she retired to Agüimes for unknown reasons.
(Free summarized translation of 'Las Princesas de Gáldar on the wesbite of the Ayuntamiento of Gáldar).
Sculptor
- Juan Borges Linares (San Isidro, Gáldar 1941 - Gáldar 2004),
Spanish-Canarian sculptor of Gáldar
(biography – blog – obituary 2004).
Sources & Information
- Esculturas en Gran Canaria, Gáldar.
- La Estrella que nos guia, Gáldar.
- Ángel Ruíz Quesada, Ruta escultórica Borges Linares (Ayuntamiento de Gáldar, 2006) (PDF on-line).
Tags
Locatie (N 28°8'42" - W 15°39'1") (Satellite view: Google Maps)
Item Code: esca094; Photograph: 6 January 2015
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt
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