Bentago: the stronghold of the Canarians

Bentago (c. 1465–1483) -also referred to as Bentehuy or Tazartico in ancient sources- was just eighteen years old when, according to the chronicles, he inherited the Kingdom of Telde, which comprised roughly the eastern half of Gran Canaria. The kings of this island traced their lineage to a mythical ancestor named Artamy (from the Berber *war tammi ‘without equal’), which is why they called themselves guanartemes, a term whose origin appears to lie in the formula *wa n Artamy (‘the one of Artamy’).

During the conquest of Gran Canaria (1478–1483), the young Bentago was vying for control of the entire island with the guanarteme of Agáldar, Tenesor Semidán, who had allied himself with the Castilians under the Christian name of Fernando Guanarteme. In a bold political move, ‘the lad’ from Telde sought to marry Arminda, Fernando’s sixteen-year-old niece and the legitimate heir to the Kingdom of Agáldar following her uncle’s conversion. In this way, Bentago sought to unify the territory and lead the final resistance of Gran Canaria.

The figure of Bentago is inextricably linked to the defence of Gran Canaria’s sovereignty. In 1483, the army of the Catholic Monarchs, under the command of Pedro de Vera, advanced through Tasartico in an attempt to besiege the young guanarteme in the fortress of Ajodar (from the Berber *ag^wdal ‘protected place’). However, Bentago ambushed them in the access gorge: from the heights, the Canarians hurled stones and amodagas (‘toasted, pointed sticks’) which routed the royal troops. Miguel de Mújica, captain of the contingent of Basque crossbowmen, perished in the battle, marking one of the most memorable victories of the Canarian resistance. Amidst the chaos, Fernando Guanarteme’s intervention proved decisive, as he managed to save the life of General Pedro de Vera and the few soldiers who survived the ambush.

The royal troops’ response was to pursue the young Guanarteme across the island, finally cornering him at the fortress of Ansite (from the Berber *anzid ‘ridge’). Recent research suggests that this place name was Hispanicised as El Sitio, which today refers to a hillside situated at the foot of the imposing ridge of the Amurga massif (San Bartolomé de Tirajana).

After several days of siege, Fernando Guanarteme managed to persuade the rebels to surrender and convert, on the promise of a royal pardon. However, Bentago refused to accept the terms and, true to his cause, threw himself off the sheer cliffs of Amurga. The chronicles state that the site of the fall was known as Tirma.

After the end of the conflict, Bentago’s fiancée, Arminda, was baptised as Catalina Guanarteme by Bishop Juan de Frías, a staunch defender of the indigenous people of the Canary Islands against the excesses of the slave trade. The young queen would soon after marry the knight from Toledo, Hernando de Guzmán, thus founding the famous lineage of the Guzmanes de Gáldar, which survives to this day as a testament to that encounter between two worlds.