Second Battle of Acentejo

The Second Battle of Acentejo was a battle that took place on December 25, 1495, between the invading Spanish forces and the natives of the island of Tenerife, known as Guanches. Whereas in the First Battle of Acentejo the Guanches had been favored by their knowledge of the mountainous terrain, in this second engagement, the native forces found themselves at a disadvantage on the plain of Aguere.

Humiliated and cautious after the First Battle of Acentejo, which had been disastrous for the Spaniards, the Adelantado (military governor) Alonso Fernández de Lugo advanced gradually across the island, building and rebuilding forts. The expedition, which Lugo funded with the sale of all of his properties, landed in Añaza and met the Guanches at the site now occupied by the University of La Laguna. Ranged against the Spanish cavalry, to which the Guanches were unaccustomed, the Guanche forces were decimated. Both Tinguaro, the military chief responsible for the victory at the First Battle of Acentejo, and his half-brother Bencomo, mencey (king) of Taoro, were killed.

Advancing along the northern shores of the island, the Spaniards pursued the remaining Guanche forces and faced them once again at Acentejo, near the site of the original battle, called by the Spaniards La Matanza ("The Slaughter"). After three hours of fighting, the Guanches were defeated. With shouts of "Victory! Victory!" the Spanish forces celebrated their triumph, and Alonso Fernández de Lugo erected a hermitage in honor of Our Lady of Victory on the site of the battle. A town grew up around it, called La Victoria de Acentejo.

The Second Battle of Acentejo was certainly not the last battle on Tenerife but certainly the most decisive, resulting in the ultimate incorporation of the island into the kingdom of Castile and the subjugation of the aborigines.