Claims › Pyramids around the world › The Güímar step pyramids in Tenerife are ancient
The Güímar step pyramids in Tenerife are ancient
The claim: The stepped stone structures at Güímar, Tenerife, are ancient pyramids, possibly linked to Egypt or the Americas.
Why this label: Thor Heyerdahl promoted an ancient, trans-oceanic link in the 1990s. Excavations by the University of La Laguna found 19th-century material beneath the structures and date them to about 1848–1864, probably built from stones cleared from fields. Solstice alignments recorded by astronomers are real but do not by themselves give a date.
Background
The six terraced structures are carefully built and some face the summer-solstice sunset. The excavated dating is the key measurement; the alignment shows deliberate design by their 19th-century builders, who may have been influenced by contemporary interest in Egypt and freemasonry.
What has been measured
Dates, measurements and documented findings, kept separate from interpretation.
Evidence and arguments for
- Heyerdahl argued the form and alignment resembled ancient step pyramids elsewhere. [2]
Evidence and arguments against, or limits
- Stratigraphic dating places construction in the mid-19th century. [1]
Open questions & what would change the label
None pending. We would revisit this if earlier dated material were found sealed under undisturbed parts of the structures.
Sites
Related claims
Sources
- Universidad de La Laguna (2006). 'Pirámides' de Güímar: solsticios, masonería y Egipto antiguo. Tabona 15, Universidad de La Laguna (PDF). https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/915/18172/TB_15%2520%2528… data
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Archaeoastronomy project: Chacona (Güímar) solstice alignments. http://research.iac.es/proyecto/arqueoastronomia/pages/project-overvi… background
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Sources checked against Crossref and publisher pages on 2026-10-22. Labels describe the claim, not the people who hold it. Methodology.