The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with Spain and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. The specific issue is: Pintaderas are not exclusively from Canary, but also from other Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures, in Europe and Middle East(January 2024) |
Pintaderas are a form of stamp used by the pre-Hispanic natives of the Canary Islands. [1] They were commonly made of fired clay. [2] However, a number of wooden pintaderas have also been found. [3] Most pintaderas come from archaeological sites in Gran Canaria, although natives from other islands in the Canarian archipelago used them too. [4] Pintaderas were usually decorated with ornate geometric shapes, including zigzags, triangles, rectangles, squares and circles. [2] These decorative motifs are similar to those found on pre-Hispanic Canarian pottery. Similar geometric patterns can also be seen in pre-Hispanic Canarian rock art (e.g., Painted cave of Galdar) [1]
The size of the pintaderas varies significantly, ranging between 2 and 12 cm. They usually have a small handle, which is sometimes pierced, that allows the owner to hang the stamp from a string. [2]
The function of the pintaderas is unclear. Perhaps they were used by the natives to apply natural dyes to their body as a form of decoration. [5] Alternatively, they may have been used to mark sealed grain silos with the owner's personal emblem. [2]
Collections of pintaderas are housed at the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Tenerife), El Museo Canario (Gran Canaria) and Painted cave, Gáldar (Gran Canaria).
Pintadera stamps were also used in the first agricultural settlements in Europe and the Anatolian homeland these farmers came from. [6]
The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union.
Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Gran Canaria, also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa and is part of Spain. As of 2023 the island had a population of 862,893 that constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of the island, is the biggest city of the Canary Islands and the ninth of Spain.
Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria is a town and a municipality in Las Palmas province of the Canary Islands. It is located on the north side of Gran Canaria island. Its population is 13,811 (2013), and the area is 42.59 km2 (16.44 sq mi).
The Pyramids of Güímar are six rectangular pyramid-shaped, terraced structures built from lava stone without the use of mortar. They are located in the district of Chacona, part of the town of Güímar on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. The structures have been dated to the 19th century AD and they may originally have been a byproduct of contemporary agricultural techniques. These pyramids stand as high as 12 metres (39 ft).
Santa Brígida is a town and a municipality in the northeastern part of the island of Gran Canaria in the Province of Las Palmas of the Canary Islands. Its population is 18,791 (2013), and the area is 23.81 km2. It is situated in the mountains, 13 km southwest of Las Palmas.
Gáldar is a town and a Spanish municipality in the north of the island of Gran Canaria in the Province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Its population is 24,227 (2013), and the area is 61.59 km2 (23.78 sq mi).
The University of La Laguna is a public research university situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The university has six campuses: Central, Anchieta, Guajara, Campus del Sur, Ofra and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Eric Ragnor Sventenius was a Hispano-Swedish botanist.
Manuel Mora Morales is a Canarian writer, filmmaker and editor. He completed his studies at the University of La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. He is the president of the Asociación de Editores de Canarias.
Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo was a Spanish politician and academic. He served as President of the Canary Islands twice, from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1991 to 1993.
Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre, generally known simply as Néstor was a Canarian painter and theatrical designer who worked in the Symbolist and Art Deco styles.
The 2015 Canarian regional election was held on Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect the 9th Parliament of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. All 60 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
The Guayadeque ravine, in Spanish Barranco de Guayadeque, is a ravine-type valley located on the Spanish municipalities of Ingenio and Agüimes, in the province of Las Palmas on Grand Canary island, off the coast of Morocco.
The Painted cave is an archaeological museum and park in the town of Galdar, located the northwest of Grand Canary in the Canary Islands, Spain. This centre is part of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Historic Heritage and Museums of the town council of Grand Canary.
Dolores de la Torre Champsaur, better known as Lola de la Torre, was a Canarian musician and pioneer of musicology in the Canary Islands.
As in the rest of Spain, the majority religion in the Canary Islands is the Catholic Church. The Catholic religion has been the majority since the Conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century. This religion would largely replace the Canarian aboriginal religion through the prohibition of the latter and syncretism. According to a survey conducted in 2019, Canary Islands is the fifth autonomous community in Spain with the highest percentage of people who declare themselves to be Catholics after the Region of Murcia, Extremadura, Galicia, Aragon, and Castile and León. 76.7% of the population is Catholic.
El Museo Canario is an archeological museum in Las Palmas, the capital city of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. It is dedicated to the pre-colonial history of the Canary Islands.
The 2023 Canarian regional election was held on Sunday, 28 May 2023, to elect the 11th Parliament of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. All 70 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in eleven other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
María del Carmen Reina Jiménez is a Spanish essayist, writer, activist, and politician.