Page 378 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

378 from Italy to the Canary Islands

chosen from the
highest levels of the
nobility and were
considered sacred.
However, women
took part in the reli-
gion too; there were
priestesses who had
a primary role in so-
ciety (and belonged
to the nobility) who
would remain vir-
gin and live in con-
vents called “tamo-
Gavia (terrace) on the island of La Palma. gantes”, where their
main purpose was
teaching and prayer;
their needs were all provided for by tributes received directly from the no-
bles. There were two types of religious ceremonies; the most common one
was reserved for a small congregation of the faithful, the other occurred
when circumstances threatened the survival of the whole community and
were open to the entire population, which participated in it along with the
king. The ceremonies made use of sacrifices consisting in pouring milk
or butter over rocks to which the Guanches attributed sacred value; the
purpose was to propitiate rain, a fundamental need in islands as parched as
the Canary Islands.
The issue of burying family members is connected to religion. Burial
methods varied from island to island; natural caves, specially dug caves
(as in Egypt), and artificial mounds (as in Egypt and Peru) were employed.
The caves varied in size depending on whether they were single or for an
entire family. The bodies were usually laid to rest on the back, with arms
stretched along the sides, and were placed on a wooden board or on a bed
made of leaves or animal skins, so the body would not touch the floor of
the cave. The Guanches practiced embalming like in ancient Egypt.
The wealth and social status of the deceased determined the type of
mummification treatment. Radiocarbon dating has shown this technique
was used from the 3 century BC until the Norman conquest. Mummifica-
rd
tion was done by first washing the body, then inserting a liquid in the throat