19 Jun Iruene welcomes the Summer Solstice celebrating the 4th Archaeoastronomy Conference in Breña Alta
The Iruene Association, with the support of the Cabildo de La Palma within the Astronomy Festival, Astrofest 2024, is organizing for this Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, at the Museo del Puro Palmera in Breña Alta, the fourth Conference on Archaeoastronomy and Cosmovision of the Ancient World of the Canary Islands, which includes, in addition to thematic talks, a visit to several archaeological sites related to the arrival of the Summer Solstice.
The main objective of these conferences is to make known the importance that their vision of the cosmos reflected in the events of the stars had for the ancient inhabitants of the islands.
The arrival of the Summer Solstice was one of the main moments of cultural manifestation for the Canary Island indigenous people and in places such as La Veta del Almácigo, on the slopes of El Time in Tijarafe, or El Verde, in El Paso, there are two of the greatest exponents of this indigenous ritual in the Canary Islands.
In the extensive studies carried out by the Iruene Association of hundreds of geographical enclaves with rock art, the importance of the sky and its stars for the populations that inhabited the islands is confirmed, as it happens in other universal cultures throughout the planet.
The programme of these fourth Archaeoastronomy Conference begins on Friday at 6:00 p.m. with the talk: “The Malverde Site, Tara. Recovering its place in history”, by Bentejuí Motas García.
At 7:00 p.m. the archaeologist Francisco Pérez Caamaño will offer the talk: “The Guanches in the mountains. Magical-religious practices, social stratification and restriction”.
At 8:00 p.m. under the title “The whistled language in the Canary Islands”, by Ana Belén García Sánchez, attendees will be able to learn about the cultural aspects of this practice in the islands. Afterwards, and if the weather conditions permit, there will be an astronomical observation by Astronorte.
On Saturday morning, participants will be able to enjoy an early guided tour of the engraving station of La Veta del Almácigo, El Time (Tijarafe), to contemplate the sunrise. Later, the Lomo Muerto station in Puntagorda will be visited, and in the afternoon, from 7:00 p.m., the El Verde station in El Paso will be the meeting point to contemplate the sunset, where in a peculiar way you can also observe the play of light and shadows that the sun projects on the engravings present there.
All activities are open to the interested public and do not require registration.
This fourth Conference on Archaeoastronomy and Worldview of the Ancient World of the Canary Islands is included in the programme of events of the Astrofest 2024 Astronomy Festival and is funded by the Tourism Department of the Cabildo Insular de La Palma, with the collaboration of the Breña Alta Town Council.