Religion in the Canary Islands same Alonso Fernández de Lugo (conqueror of this island) who in 1513 asked the Court to erect a new diocese on the island of Tenerife. However, this project would always have the opposition of the Grancanarian bishop. From this moment, the Canary Islands was divided into two dioceses: The "Diocese Canariense-Rubicense" that encompasses the eastern islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) and "Diocese of San Cristóbal of La Laguna" or "Nivariense" that encompasses the western islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro). In the Canary Islands, religious devotions of great tradition in history and culture are particularly important,
Lanzarote of Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, who used the alias "Lanzarote da Framqua". A fort was later built in the area of Montaña de Guanapay near today's Teguise. Castilian slaving expeditions in 1385 and 1393 seized hundreds of Guanches and sold them in Spain, initiating the slave trade in the islands. French explorer Jean de Béthencourt arrived in 1402, heading a private expedition under Castilian auspices. Bethencourt first visited the south of Lanzarote at Playas de Papagayo, and the French overran the island within a matter of months. The island lacked mountains and gorges to serve as hideouts for the remaining