Coat of arms of the Canary Islands Coat of arms of Canary Islands. Popularly attributed the Canary Islands name is derived from the Presa Canario, although under a law in force in the Canary Islands since 1991, the dog is the natural symbol of Gran Canaria along with the cactus. For this reason, critics of the current shield argue that it only represents the island of Gran Canaria, and not the entire archipelago. There has also been a motion to remove both animals' collars, as it is argued (especially since independence) that the collars represent "submission". Coat of arms of the Canary Islands The coat of arms
Religion in the Canary Islands de Anchieta, a missionary in Brazil born in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, was a descendant of Jewish converts. However, just as in the rest of Spain, the Jews would suffer persecution from the Holy Inquisition, although to a much lesser extent than in the Iberian Peninsula. The current community of Sephardic origin in the Canary Islands began to settle in the islands in the middle of the 20th century. The Canary Islands is the region with the largest community of Hindus in Spain, in fact, almost half of the country's Hindus live in the archipelago, and Hinduism came