Santa Cruz de Tenerife Car Hire - Origin

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Before the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the territory where the city lies today was covered with wild vegetation belonging to the meceyato (kingdom) of Anaga, which was governed by Mencey (King) Beneharo. The protagonists of the city’s pre-Hispanic history are the Guanches and later a few foreign expeditions that landed on the coast. The Spanish arrived in 1494 and established a base camp on the site of Santa Cruz. The conquest of the island lasted until 1496 and the same year Tenerife was incorporated into the Crown of Castile.

The economy of the city was based on the port from the start. The first dock was built in 1548 on Playa de Añazo, but it was destroyed by a storm.