Cueva de Chinguaro, in Güímar on Tenerife, Spain, is an ancient cave-shrine and Roman Catholic church. Its roots lie in the worship of Chaxiraxi, the Guanche goddess of the local faith, which was related to the Berbers of North Africa. It also served as the traditional palace of Acaimo, the Guanche king of the Menceyato de Güímar.
After the Spanish conquest, the locals venerated the cave as a site of the Virgin Mary, and a church shrine was later built there. While it was the first Guanche shrine to contain a Christian idol in the Canary Islands, the icon was eventually moved to the Cave of Achbinico in Candelaria, which became the first shrine devoted to the Virgin of Candelaria. Most natives at that time continued to adhere to their traditional religion.
The cave is a site of archaeological importance with layers of ash carbon-dated to more than 3,000 years old. These findings show long indigenous occupancy within the site. Standing among these layers, the shrine serves as a testament to the different stories of the Guanche people and the subsequent shift to Christianity.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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