The first Canarians survived on barley and seafood, according to a study of their bones

An analysis of 457 skeletons from the seven islands has allowed for the reconstruction of the diet of ancient Canarians over fifteen centuries. Barley and seafood were key to overcoming hunger.

The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2026, has analysed the bone collagen of 457 individuals from all the major islands of the archipelago. The scientists, led by Elías Sánchez-Cañadillas and Jonathan Santana, have combined carbon and nitrogen isotopes with radiocarbon dating to create an unprecedented nutritional map.

The north of Tenerife and Gran Canaria: the barley granary

In the higher islands, such as Tenerife and Gran Canaria, dryland agriculture was the cornerstone of the diet. The study reveals that barley and durum wheat contributed between 28% and 33% of daily calories. Collective silo systems, documented in sites on the island, allowed for the storage of surpluses for years of drought.

In La Palma and La Gomera, the isotopic values show an even greater dependence on wild plants and terrestrial resources. Ground ferns and roots, which wore down the teeth, were a common supplement. In El Hierro, the diet was mixed, with sporadic incursions into coastal seafood.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura: seafood as salvation

The eastern islands, which are drier and lower, present a radically different pattern. Analyses of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura show very high nitrogen levels, typical of a diet rich in marine proteins. The lack of fresh water and the scarcity of fertile soils forced their inhabitants to turn to the sea.

According to the researchers, shellfishing along the rocky coasts and the breeding of goats and sheep that grazed on saline vegetation explain these markers. Plagues of Saharan locusts and recurring droughts made agriculture almost unviable, so survival depended on the coast.

The study, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, has also allowed for precise dating of the arrival of the first Amazigh to the islands, which is placed in the early centuries of our era. The researchers emphasise that there was not a single indigenous diet, but rather that each island developed its own adaptation strategy.

For today's Canarians, this data helps to understand how their ancestors managed to survive in a closed and hostile ecosystem for fifteen centuries, before European conquest. The bone remains, preserved in museums in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, will continue to be a key source of information for the archaeology of the archipelago.