Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre

The Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre is the main natural history and archaeology museum of the Canary Islands, and it stands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the island of Tenerife. It is the best place in the archipelago to learn about the islands’ geology, wildlife and first inhabitants.

The museum occupies a large eighteenth-century building, the former Hospital Civil of Santa Cruz, a dignified structure with a long façade, courtyards and stone arcades that was converted into a museum in the 1990s. Its collections are divided between the natural sciences and archaeology, and the two sections are designed to show how life and people arrived and developed on the volcanic islands of the Canary archipelago. The natural history galleries explain the volcanic origins of the Canary Islands, which rose from the Atlantic seabed over millions of years, and show the rocks, minerals, plants and animals found on them. The islands have a high number of endemic species, plants and insects that exist nowhere else, which makes the collection of unusual interest to naturalists.

The archaeology section deals with the original inhabitants of the islands, the Guanches of Tenerife, and the Guanche way of life, whose Pre-Hispanic culture the Spanish found on arrival. They arrived from North Africa in ancient times and lived in caves and simple dwellings, farmed, herded goats and sheep and developed a culture of their own, until their society was conquered by Castile at the end of the fifteenth century. The museum displays pottery, tools, ornaments, and a collection of mummified remains, which are among the best-preserved of their kind and reflect their burial customs, using preservation methods that involved careful treatment of the body. These exhibits give an unusually direct view of the Pre-Castilian period in the islands’ past.

The museum is a good first stop for anyone who will also hike in Teide National Park or visit the island’s other archaeological sites, because it sets out the volcanic origins and the Guanche past that explain much of what you will see. Without that background, the mountains, lava fields and caves are simply scenery.

The museum is in the centre of Santa Cruz, within walking distance of the Plaza de España, the Iglesia de la Concepción, the Teatro Guimerá and the harbour. A visit takes about two hours, and the building is cool and calm on hot days. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site.