El Bebedero rewrites the story of Lanzarote's first inhabitants

The archaeological campaign carried out this summer at the El Bebedero site in Teguise has produced finds that widen what is known about the first communities to inhabit Lanzarote and their links with the Roman world.

The work is directed by Pablo Atoche Peña, professor of Prehistory at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, continuing research begun in 1985.

Chief among the results is the completed excavation of a large paved area built to collect and channel rainwater into a cistern found during the 2025 campaign. Together with its channels and settling tanks, it is the first documented water infrastructure at the site.

Why it matters

On an island where water has always been the variable that decides everything, finding a collection system from that period says far more than any single object: it implies settled communities capable of planning ahead.

Sources: Servicio Insular de Patrimonio Histórico, Cabildo de Lanzarote.