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All Spain Tenerife Mount Teide
AO Edited

Mount Teide

According to the Guanches, the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands, the king of evil lives inside this volcano.

Tenerife, Spain

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Mount Teide   foundin_a_attic/CC BY 2.0
  ErWin/CC BY-ND 2.0
On top of Mount Tiede.   ariels / Atlas Obscura User
  Andy/CC BY 2.0
Teide and Roque Cinchado. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teide
This image from the summit of Teide shows clouds of sulfur coming out of the volcano on the lower right hand side. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teide
Teide - view from La Gomera   philoursmars
Teide - los Roques   philoursmars
Mount Teide   vasilisapremudra / Atlas Obscura User
Mount Teide   vasilisapremudra / Atlas Obscura User
Teide   philoursmars
Teide   Trogfoot / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
  stephansulser / Atlas Obscura User
Teide - los Roques   philoursmars
Teide - los Roques   philoursmars
Teide   philoursmars
Teide side - la Tarta   philoursmars
Parque Nacional del Teide: Roque Cinchado   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
climbing teide   massimiliano20097 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The highest elevation in Spain and the islands of the Atlantic, Mount Teide is also the third-largest volcano in the world from its base, after only Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It is an active volcano that last erupted in 1909.

The mountain is a sacred place for the Guanches, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands. According to the Guanche mythology, Guayota (an evil god) kidnapped Magec (the god of light and the sun), and imprisoned him inside the volcano. Without the sun, the world was plunged into darkness, and the people prayed to Achamán, principal god worshipped by the Guanches. Achamán fought Guayota in a fierce battle. He freed Magec and trapped Guayota inside the volcano instead, the evil god remained.

Another Guanche story held that Mount Teide was responsible for holding up the sky. Archeologists, over the years, have found many tools and pottery crafted from stone and other natural products. It is thought that these tools were built by the Guanches and offered to the mountain to counter the influence of evil spirits.

Mount Teide is surrounded by the Teide National Park. The park has an area of nearly 19,000 hectares, and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in mid-2007. That recognition helped to boost the allure of the park, which was also named one of the top twelve treasures of Spain after making the UNESCO list. Located in the center of the island of Tenerife, the park hosts close to three million visitors a year.

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Martian Landscapes Geological Oddities Volcanoes Indigenous Mountains Ecosystems Geology

Know Before You Go

From the center of Tenerife island, just go uphill.

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Added By

ariels

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ricardocardenes, philoursmars, aribrown, nbj914...

  • ricardocardenes
  • philoursmars
  • aribrown
  • nbj914
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • michellecassidy1
  • Trogfoot
  • vasilisapremudra
  • massimiliano20097
  • Johan SWE
  • stephansulser
  • Melroyse

Published

June 20, 2011

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Sources
  • Wikipedia: Teide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teide
  • Mount Teide Tenerife Volcano: http://delteide.com/
  • Real Tenerife: Tenerife Highs: http://www.realtenerifeislanddrives.com/Mount%20Teide.html
Mount Teide
Mount Teide
Calle Emilio Calzadilla, 5
Tenerife, 38300
Spain
28.272778, -16.642222
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Roque Cinchado

La Orotava, Spain

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Teide Observatory

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Spain

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