Arbre de L´isle de Fer / De L’Afrique. Figure LXXXII. 211

Title

Arbre de L´isle de Fer / De L’Afrique. Figure LXXXII. 211

Picture shows water-collecting bimbaches at the Garoé on the Canary Island of El Hierro. In the interior of the island, there is a symbol of the island, the Garoé (arbol santo), the sacred tree of the indigenous people. It is a stinking laurel tree that was replanted in 1957. The sacred original tree (it was a specimen of the tilo laurel tree) is said to have been felled by a storm in 1610. The tree was used and worshipped by the indigenous people (Bimbaches) as a source of water (through fog condensation), as the island had few water resources. However, the yield of this process is very limited. When the conquistadors took possession of the island, the Bimbaches decided to keep the hiding place of the sacred tree a secret. They did so in the hope that the conquistadors would leave the island again, as they found no rivers or springs.The sacred tree is illustrated in the island's coat of arms.

ca. 1683

Artist

Mallet