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25-516: The municipality is famous for its pyramids . It is also the location of the barranco de Badajoz . A portion of its volcanic landscape has been set aside as the Nature reserve of Malpaís of Güímar , its highest point being Montaña Grande. The name comes from Guanche and is thought to mean 'angle, corner, nook'. The first population centre of Güímar originated in the sixteenth century in the neighbourhood of San Juan - also called Güímar de Arriba - near

50-458: A belief in the hypothesis that the pyramids were connected with Guanches until his death. The association of the Guanches and the pyramids continues to be elaborated upon both in "Pyramid park" and on its official website. Aparicio and Esteban's theory connects the facts that the pyramids were built in the 19th century with the acknowledgement that they are not simply piles of stones. Following

75-528: A mild desert climate ( Köppen : BWh ; Trewartha : BWal ) with an annual precipitation of only 149.9 millimetres (5.90 in) and no more than 29 days of precipitation. The average temperature throughout the year ranges from 17.0 °C (62.6 °F) in February to 24.0 °C (75.2 °F) in August. High temperature days above 30 °C (86 °F) are usually uncommon, but due to the close proximity to

100-469: Is called ' midsummer '. Traditionally in northern Europe midsummer was reckoned as the night of 23–24 June, with summer beginning on May Day . The summer solstice continues to be seen as the middle of summer in many European cultures, but in some cultures or calendars it is seen as summer's beginning. In Sweden , midsummer is one of the year's major holidays when the country closes down as much as during Christmas. The following tables contain information on

125-494: The Sahara Desert , a hot wind called Sharqi , making the place The temperature quickly exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) and even reached temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) or even higher. The extreme temperatures throughout the year ranged from 9.4 °C (48.9 °F) on 17 March 2015 to 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) on 28 July 2017. In September 2022, the entire Canary Islands , including Tenerife , experienced

150-478: The Sun . It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern ). The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year in that hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest position in the sky. At either pole there is continuous daylight at the time of its summer solstice. The opposite event is the winter solstice . The summer solstice occurs during

175-815: The "Canarian Pyramids" by reading an article written by Francisco Padrón in the Tenerife newspaper "Diario de Avisos" detailing "real pyramids on the Canaries". As Heyerdahl had hypothesized a transatlantic link between Egypt and Central America , he became intrigued by the Güímar pyramids and relocated to Tenerife. There Heyerdahl researched possible parallels between the Canarian terrace structures and pyramid structures in Egypt and Central America in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonial areas. Heyerdahl hypothesised that

200-526: The Canarian pyramids formed a temporal and geographic stopping point on voyages between ancient Egypt and the Maya civilization , initiating a controversy in which historians, esoterics, archaeologists, astronomers, and those with a general interest in history took part. In 1991, researchers of the Canary Institute of Astrophysics showed that the long sides of some of the structures at Güímar marked

225-507: The Guanche cave are shown in the "museum" in heavily enlarged photos, whilst the imported ceramics from the 19th century are mentioned only briefly on an information board – without illustration. 28°19′15″N 16°24′49″W  /  28.32083°N 16.41361°W  / 28.32083; -16.41361 Summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth 's poles has its maximum tilt toward

250-461: The completion of the excavations in 1998, the 65,000 m area surrounding the pyramids was made accessible to the public. Heyerdahl received financial support from his friend the Canarian businessman Fred Olsen , who owns the largest transport company in the Canaries and whose family came to the islands from Norway in the 20th century. An information centre provides visitors with information about Heyerdahl's research trips and his previous ideas regarding

275-676: The dates of earliest sunrise and latest sunset vary by a few days. This is because Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year. There is evidence that the summer solstice has been culturally important since the Neolithic era. Many ancient monuments in Europe especially, as well as parts of the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, are aligned with

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300-436: The direction of both solstices. The main limiting wall points to the sunset in the summer solstice and the pyramids have stairs on their western side which face the direction of the rising sun on the winter solstice . Also, standing on the platform of the largest pyramid on the day of the summer solstice it is possible to experience a double sunset , as first the sun sets behind a mountain top, then it emerges again from behind

325-590: The heaviest rainfall since AEMET meteorological observations began. Güímar experienced three consecutive days of heavy rain, with the largest single-day rainfall in history of 113.8 millimetres (4.48 in) being measured on 25 September 2022. The total rainfall for the whole of September 2022 reached 268.0 millimetres (10.55 in), making it the month with the most rainfall in Güímar since meteorological observations began. Pyramids of G%C3%BC%C3%ADmar The Pyramids of Güímar are six rectangular pyramid -shaped, terraced structures built from lava stone without

350-644: The hemisphere's summer . In the Northern Hemisphere , this is the June solstice (20, 21 or 22 June) and in the Southern Hemisphere , this is the December solstice (20, 21, 22 or 23 of December). Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. Traditionally, in temperate regions (especially Europe),

375-486: The length of the day on 20 June 2016, close to the summer solstice of the Northern Hemisphere and winter solstice of the Southern Hemisphere . The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute as well as from certain other websites. The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the longest day to the shortest one. Times that occur

400-401: The mountain and sets a second time behind a neighbouring peak. However, it is impossible based solely on these observations to conclude what was the intention of the builders or the date of construction. The researchers published a book in 2005 titled Las Pirámides de Güímar: mito y realidad (The Pyramids of Güímar: Myth and Reality), in which they suggest that the solstitial orientations of

425-447: The pyramids themselves cannot be older than the 19th century. The archaeologists involved maintain that the creation of the terrace structures followed from the practices of the 19th century rural population , who created these structures while clearing cultivatable land of stones, as they piled the stones into these terrace shapes. Heyerdahl suggested that the structures were not haphazardly piled-up stones. Heyerdahl maintained

450-437: The pyramids were potentially motivated by Masonic symbolism . The authors argue that solstices are very important in the symbolism of Freemasonry , and that the owner of the land at the pyramids were built was himself a Freemason. This motivation would be only an aesthetic one and would not modify in any rate the fundamental motivation (agriculture) and date of construction. Between 1991 and 1998, archaeological excavations of

475-466: The pyramids. Two pavilions contain exhibits relating to Heyerdahl along with models of his boats; a replica of the Ra II in its original size, amongst others. In spite of the conclusions regarding the age of the pyramids outlined above, Heyerdahl continued to maintain a belief "in a possible relationship between the existence of the pyramids and the pre Hispanic civilisation on Tenerife". The objects found in

500-523: The site were conducted by archaeologists of the University of La Laguna . Preliminary findings were presented at a colloquium in 1996, providing evidence for the dating of the pyramids. According to the preceding geophysical Georadar-Survey eight locations adjacent to the pyramids, each with an area of 25 m , were investigated in layers down to the solid lava-floor. In doing so it was possible to establish three specific sediment layers. Starting from

525-520: The springs of the Agua and Chamoco ravines. The first buildings were linked to the sugar mill started up by the brothers Juan Felipe and Blasino Piombino or Romano. Güímar is located in the eastern part of Tenerife , with the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the town. The Canary Current passes through this sea area, resulting in Güímar having a mild desert climate all year round. Güímar has

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550-410: The summer solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as midsummer ; although today in some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of summer. On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°. Although the summer solstice is the longest day of the year for that hemisphere,

575-476: The sunrise or sunset on the summer solstice (see archaeoastronomy ). The significance of the summer solstice has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays , festivals , and rituals around that time with themes of fertility. In the Roman Empire , the traditional date of the summer solstice was 24 June. In Germanic-speaking cultures, the time around the summer solstice

600-458: The top these were: Furthermore, under the border edge of one of the pyramids, a natural lava cave was discovered. It had been walled up and yielded artefacts from the time of the Guanches . Since the pyramids lie stratigraphically above the cave, the Guanche finds from between 600 and 1000 AD can only support conclusions on the date of human use of the cave. The above survey indicates that

625-676: The use of mortar . They are located in the district of Chacona, part of the town of Güímar on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands , Spain . The structures have been dated to the 19th century AD and they may originally have been a byproduct of contemporary agricultural techniques. These pyramids stand as high as 12 metres (39 ft). Other pyramids employing the same methods and materials of construction can be found in various sites on Tenerife. In Güímar itself there were nine pyramids, only six of which survive. In 1990, adventurer and publisher, Thor Heyerdahl , became aware of

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