Castillo de Santa Bárbara, the only piracy museum in the Canaries

The castle crowns the Guanapay volcano at 452 metres, two kilometres east of Teguise. From up there you can watch half the island — which was exactly the point.

It was built in the sixteenth century on an earlier watchtower and rebuilt by order of Philip II in 1571, when corsair raids on the capital had become intolerable.

What is inside

It houses the Museo de la Piratería, the only one in the Canaries. It tells of the raids the island suffered — among them Morato Arráez in 1586 and the incursions of English corsairs — through models, maps and original weapons.

Open daily from 10am to 4pm, admission 3 euros. The road up is narrow: better not to take a large vehicle. The view from the terrace alone justifies the climb.

Sources: Ayuntamiento de Teguise; Turismo Lanzarote (consultados el 14/08/2026).