Aerial views through history

At the top of the pass leading to the historic town of Betancuria via the FV-30 road lies the Guise and Ayoze Viewpoint, named after the two indigenous kings during the conquest of the island in the 15th century, represented by two 4-metre-high bronze sculptures. A stop at this viewpoint is well worth it to appreciate, from above, the gentle, rounded landscapes of the oldest and most eroded part of Fuerteventura to the north, and to the south, the ravine that descends towards Betancuria. This area enjoys significant protection under the designation of the Betancuria Rural Park, and was even proposed as a candidate for the designation of the first National Park of Arid Zones in the whole country.

The last Maho kings

The chronicles of the conquest of Fuerteventura, which took place in the early 15th century, recorded events—blending legend and reality—attributed to the last indigenous monarchs: Ayoze, King of Jandía, and Guise, King of Maxorata. It is said of them that they were capable of killing a rabid dog with one hand, whilst continuing to drink with the other, or of kneading a lump of gofio with cured cheese, hard as a stone, without batting an eyelid. In 1405, faced with the invaders’ military superiority, both accepted Jean de Béthencourt (the name from which Betancuria derives) as their king, and were baptised as Luis and Alfonso.