CORRALEJO · GRANDES PLAYAS
FUERTEVENTURA
Fuerteventura
From Jean de Bethencourt to the 18th Century
Push to listen
FUERTEVENTURA (15th to 18th CENTURIES)
After the conquest of Fuerteventura by Jean de Bethencourt (1404), the island came under a seigneurial regime, whereby the lords granted land concessions to settlers and collected the seigneurial quinto, a tax levied on goods entering and leaving the island.
In the 15th century, numerous incursions were also made into Barbary in northwestern Africa, giving rise to a lucrative trade in slaves and products from the nearby African continent. However, these expeditions also provoked reprisals by the Barbary corsairs, whose pirate attacks made the coast of Fuerteventura an unsafe place to live. The population therefore gradually began settling in the inland valleys and plains, which were also better suited to farming and livestock breeding. Dependence on agriculture and livestock, together with climatic conditions, led to periods of crisis, subsistence and famine, alternating with periods of economic prosperity, when abundant harvests produced surpluses that were exported to the other islands of the archipelago.
Towards the end of the 16th century, a severe drought caused a significant depopulation of the island, which facilitated the attack and burning of Betancuria by the Barbary forces of Xabán Arráez in 1593.
In the 17th century, Betancuria was rebuilt. At the same time, settlements gradually spread throughout the island, and several hermitages were built. In this way, the population centres of La Antigua, Casillas del Ángel, La Oliva, Tetir, Tuineje and Pájara were established, along with other small settlements that, for the time being, remained away from the dangerous coastline.
However, during the 17th century Fuerteventura also had to endure several difficult periods. Plagues and droughts ruined crops and caused great hardship among the islanders, who were forced to emigrate on several occasions. Periods of crisis continued to recur until the 18th century, testing the courage and resilience of the islanders, particularly in 1721, when riots and disturbances broke out in Betancuria because of food shortages.
Periods of crisis alternated with times of prosperity, when good winters allowed for large cereal harvests. Fuerteventura even came to be regarded as the breadbasket of the Canary Islands, supplying its growing population as well as those of the other islands of the archipelago. This prosperity stimulated trade, and coastal settlements began to emerge to allow ships to land at natural anchorages and load and unload foodstuffs, livestock, orchilla and various materials such as lime. Important settlements thus developed, including El Tostón (El Cotillo), where an emerging industry based on firing white stone to produce lime became particularly significant. Today, five of these kilns can still be found around its harbour.
*Text extracted from the video edited by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, “Fuerteventura, su historia”.
Corsairs and Pirates
Push to listen
Corsair Attacks (18th Century)
Following the discovery of America, the Canary Islands acquired great strategic importance on the Atlantic route, becoming a port of call for ships crossing the ocean.
Trade with America, inter-island commerce and the wars Spain was waging with other countries such as England led to the presence of pirates and privateers in the waters of the archipelago and to frequent attacks on the islands. Fuerteventura was not spared these attacks. In fact, two battles were fought on the island against English landings in 1740: the Battle of Cuchillete and the Battle of Llano Florido. In both cases, the courage and ingenuity of the islanders, who used mobile camel trenches for their defence, thwarted the invaders’ plans, resulting in numerous casualties and prisoners. Following these attacks, it was decided to build fortifications to defend the island, such as the defensive castles or towers of San Buenaventura at Caleta de Fuste and the one where we are now, at El Tostón in El Cotillo.
*Text extracted from the video edited by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, “Fuerteventura, su historia”.
The Defensive Towers and Their Origins
Report by Captain General Chaves Ossorio on fortifications in Fuerteventura. 1718.
… “and that materials be purchased and gathered as conveniently as possible in order to begin the fortification of the Port of Tostón”.
“D. Antonio Téllez de Silva fifty thousand reales for the same funds which the Lord Count of El Palmar, my predecessor, ordered to be set aside for the fortification”.
And bearing in mind the merits of Colonel D. Pedro Sánchez Umpiérrez, Governor of the Arms of that island, and of D. Antonio Téllez de Silva, its Chief Magistrate, and of Captain of Horse D. Ginés de Cabrera Vetancurt, Senior Councillor, I hereby appoint and name them superintendents of the fortifications to be built on that island.
Letter from the War Secretariat to the Captain General of the Canary Islands concerning fortifications in Fuerteventura. 1718.
… “the importance of fortifying the island of Fuerteventura, as it is the closest to Africa, His Majesty agrees that such fortifications as may be appropriate should be built on the island; however, His Majesty wishes that, before carrying them out, Your Excellency should have a very accurate map of the said island prepared, showing in detail the coastline and the places along it that are more accessible or more difficult for landings, and that, with plans, profiles and reports, the projects for redoubts, batteries and other types of fortification to be built should be prepared and explained, together with an approximate estimate of the cost of each one…”
*Texts extracted from the book “Acuerdos del Cabildo de Fuerteventura 1660-1728” by Roberto Roldán Verdejo.
Claudio de Lisle
The Engineer
Push to listen
Lisle (or Delisle, or L’Isle), Claudio de. Brussels (Belgium), early 18th century – Fuerteventura (Las Palmas), 15 June 1743. Military Engineer.
He is believed to have studied at the Royal Academy of Mathematics in Barcelona. He entered the Army as a cadet in 1729 and was a second lieutenant in the Flanders Infantry Regiment. On 15 April 1734 he appeared on the “list of persons eligible to enter as extraordinary engineers”, and was assigned to Catalonia that same day.
On 1 October 1735 he was appointed extraordinary engineer with the rank of second lieutenant. By Royal Order of 27 October of the same year, he was transferred to serve in the Army of Lombardy, and a month later he was in Sicily. On 30 November 1736 he returned to Catalonia from Italy.
By Royal Order of 3 May 1738 he was assigned to Extremadura together with Antonio Riviere and Francisco de Lapierre; the commission was suspended, however, and he was ordered to await a new assignment.
He was assigned to the Canary Islands on 23 November 1738, arriving in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 20 June 1740. While awaiting embarkation, on 18 November 1739 he was granted four months’ leave in France to recover from illness.
Following the declaration of war between Spain and Great Britain, Don Andrés Bonito y Pignatelli, who arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in January 1741 and had just been appointed Captain General of the islands, wisely surrounded himself with a distinguished group of military engineers to prepare the islands’ defences properly. The staff included chief engineer Colonel José de Andonaegui; second engineer Lieutenant Colonel Francisco La Pierre; and extraordinary engineers Tomás Dothel, Claudio de Lisle and Manuel Hernández. Lapierre and Delisle were sent by the commander general to Gran Canaria, undoubtedly because the fortifications of that island also required attention in view of the news of a new conflict with England.
From Gran Canaria, De Lisle, who had been promoted to lieutenant on 4 February 1741 while continuing as an extraordinary engineer, made several visits to other islands of the archipelago to construct new fortifications.
At the beginning of 1741 he was sent to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura with the mission of determining the locations where the small fortresses or towers planned for those islands were to be built.
The idea for these structures arose following a visit to the islands by Don Antonio Riviere and his group of engineers and artillerymen in 1740. Designed by Claudio de Lisle, the towers at El Confital and Gando in Gran Canaria, El Tostón and Caleta de Fuste in Fuerteventura, and Punta del Águila in southern Lanzarote share the same design.
He died on 15 June 1743 on the island of Fuerteventura as a result of a fall from the very tower we are standing in today. He was buried in Betancuria, where his remains are said to lie.
Text extracted from the website of the Royal Academy of History. Juan Carrillo de Albornoz y Galbeño, “Biografía de Claudio de Lisle”.
El Tostón
The Tower and the Harbour
Push to listen
Report by the Chief Magistrate of Fuerteventura, D. Antonio Téllez de Silva, to the Captain General of the Canary Islands concerning ports and fortifications, 28 May 1719.
“…The principal port of this island of Barlovento is TOSTON, in this location. Given its position, the opening of its bar requires considerable work, since if it were deepened sufficiently to allow larger vessels to enter, this could be of great benefit to the island. Its construction is not very difficult, because in certain months the said bar is almost dry at low tide, and thus, at little cost, such a useful improvement could be achieved, as could the clearing of the harbour, so that the vessels left high and dry by the tides would not be damaged and would have greater capacity. At this site, on a promontory immediately adjacent to the bar, a redoubt with several cannons could be built to protect the vessels from the boats the enemy might send to seize or destroy the ships lying there.
Here help is close at hand because of the nearby settlements, and nothing else is needed because its entrance is impregnable; from this point to that of Handía there are more than thirty leagues, and the whole stretch is almost entirely shoals and very difficult for a landing…”
*Texts extracted from the book “Acuerdos del Cabildo de Fuerteventura 1660-1728” by Roberto Roldán Verdejo.
Tostón Castle or Castle of El Pilar and San Miguel
… As can be seen in the plans, it is a circular tower reached by a stone staircase leading to a drawbridge with iron chains.
To the left of the entrance passage is the descent to the gunpowder store, with a capacity of 18 quintals; next to it is another room with little light or ventilation. To the right of the same passage is the staircase leading to the platform, where the latrine and the cistern are located; the latter collects rainwater falling on the platform and can store 6 to 7 cubic metres. It has three carriage-mounted eight-pounder cannons. Opposite the entrance door to the tower is accommodation for twelve men and a small room separated by a low partition. This accommodation is vaulted.
*Texts extracted from the book “Antiguas Fortificaciones de Canarias” by …
The Colonels
The Military Organisation of Fuerteventura
Push to listen
Military Organisation (15th to 18th Centuries)
Three distinct periods can be identified in the military organisation of Fuerteventura up to the 18th century.
1. The first extends until the end of the 16th century and is unclear and poorly documented.
2. The second, beginning around this time, covers the 17th century, during which the foundations of an organised militia and military offices appointed according to law were established.
3. The third, beginning in 1708 with the creation of the island’s Militia Regiment, saw the strengthening of a military class and the acquisition of enormous political power, and consequently economic power, by the colonel who governed the island’s armed forces.
The third period began in 1708, when the Militia Regiment was created. The territorial lord remained Captain at War of the island, but his permanent absence from the island from that date made the position almost honorary. The colonel was the Governor of the Arms, the Captain General’s right-hand man.
The colonelcies became practically hereditary, and from the outset were monopolised by the Sánchez Dumpiérrez or Umpiérrez and Cabrera families, who by the end of the 18th century had become the island’s greatest economic power, particularly Colonel Agustín de Cabrera Béthencourt.
The position of colonel, elective like the other officers of the Regiment, was proposed by the territorial lord to the Supreme Council of War through the commander general of the Canary Islands.
During the 18th century, members of the Sánchez Umpiérrez and Cabrera families were appointed to this position. They were undoubtedly among the island’s wealthiest farmers and livestock breeders, and their economic power became considerable.
Among all the colonels of this century, particular mention should be made of D. Joseph Sánchez Umpiérrez, because of the exceptional circumstances in which his term of office took place. He was the son of the also-colonel D. Pedro Sánchez Umpiérrez. D. Joseph Sánchez Umpiérrez was born in Pájara in 1683 and, following his death on 16 June 1742, the King issued the title of Colonel of the island’s Militia in favour of Captain D. Melchor Cabrera Vetancurt, one of the captains who had accompanied Sánchez Umpiérrez in the battles of Cuchillete and Llano Florido.
*Texts extracted from the book “Acuerdos del Cabildo de Fuerteventura 1605-1700” by Roberto Roldán Verdejo.
The Colonel’s Flag
Push to listen
Provincial Regiment of Fuerteventura
“According to reports obtained from several elderly men from that island residing here, it appears that the two flags used by this Regiment since its creation, being the oldest of their kind in the Province, were made of silk or satin, both of very large dimensions, and the coat of arms depicting lions and castles was formed, as was the crown, from pieces of yellow and red silk fabric attached to the background cloth. Both flags were exactly alike, although it is not remembered whether either of them had ribbons. They must be in a very poor state of service, since they were already in a lamentable condition when they were ordered to be sent to the Captaincy General.”
These accounts are confirmed by Don Pedro Manrique de Lara y Cabrera, former Lieutenant Colonel of the Fuerteventura Regiment, who states:
“The oldest and only flags that I remember having seen before the present one in the Fuerteventura Regiment were made of white silk, with quartered coats of arms bearing castles and lions; the lions were red and the castles yellow on a field the same colour as the flag. The castles and lions were also made of silk fabric, sewn on, and both flags were quite large, as was customary at that time.”
*Text supplied by the Department of Historical Heritage of the La Oliva Town Council.
The Royal Ordinances of Charles III of 1768 established, in Title I, Chapter I, Article 10:
“Each battalion shall have two flags, whose ribbons shall be red, and the staffs shall be eight feet and six inches in height, including the ferrule and spearhead of each one: the first flag shall be white, with the Shield of My Royal Arms, and the other three of each Regiment white, with the Cross of Burgundy; and on the former and the latter, at the ends of the four corners, shall be placed the arms of the Kingdoms, Provinces or Towns from which their respective Corps take their name, together with the particular devices they may have had and used with My Royal approval, the dimensions of the taffeta of each flag being seven quarters square.”
The Tower
Its Function and Later Uses
Push to listen
The fortification we can see today, known as the Tower of Our Lady of El Pilar and San Miguel, belongs to the “quesera” type, so called because of its round shape. Its main function was to protect the natural harbour of El Tostón and the nearby small beaches with a simple artillery installation against Barbary, French and English pirates.
Because of its geographical position on top of a prominent rocky outcrop, it served as a lookout and sentry post to protect the nearby inhabitants. Alarms were raised when suspicious ships appeared on the horizon. Bonfires were lit on the upper level and the signal bell was rung.
As military technology advanced, its defensive importance declined, and its infrastructure was subsequently put to other uses.
The Castle as a Lighthouse:
One of these uses was as a lighthouse for fishing boats in the area. Bonfires lit on the roof were used to guide them during storms so that they could reach land safely.
The Castle as a Prison:
Because it was a fortress, it was also used as a prison or detention centre for civilians or soldiers who, whether justly or unjustly, failed to comply with or broke the laws enforced by the authorities of the time.
With regard to this function, an important historical event should be highlighted: the “Guriamen Riot”. A group of more than 500 Majorero farm workers, motivated by what they considered unfair treatment concerning the use of the Guriamen area (a large area where cosco was gathered and land was cultivated between the villages of Villaverde and Lajares) by the territorial lord of the time, revolted to demand justice, calling for his resignation, by peaceful means or otherwise. The intervention of the Colonel in the negotiations was vital in calming the situation. Subsequent investigations followed the uprising, and around 30 men were arrested as instigators of the popular revolt. They were first imprisoned in the Tower of San Buenaventura (Caleta de Fuste) and shortly afterwards transferred to the Tostón Tower, whose location guaranteed them better living conditions.
Over the years, its functions were gradually reduced until it became a building of great historical value, serving as an information centre for tourists and local residents about its history and the surrounding area.
It was declared a Historic Monument of Cultural Interest by Decree of 22 April 1949 of the Ministry of National Education and was also declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) by the Government of the Canary Islands….