A Brief History

Contrary to popular opinion, the Canary Islands don’t owe their epithet to the real-life descendants of Tweety Pie. While these fluffy yellow birds are native to the islands, they were named after the Canaries rather than the other way around. Indeed, they were introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the victorious Spanish invasion force in the 15th century. Rather, the Canary Islands can thank one Juba II for their moniker. The King of Numidia and Mauretania, then Roman colonies, was astounded to discover packs of wild dogs roaming the islands on his expedition of c30BC. Canis means dog in Latin – which clears up the existence of the statues of giant dogs you’ll see on the squares and
streets of Las Palmas.