Editing Las Palmas (section)

== History ==
{{see also|Timeline of Las Palmas}}
[[File:Prisión de Barranco Seco 02.jpg|Old jail Barranco Seco|thumb|left]]
[[File:Puerto de la luz - Faro rotonda.JPG|thumb|upright|{{center|Rotunda lighthouse in La Luz port}}]]
The city was founded by [[Juan Rejón]] on 24 June 1478, with the name "Real de Las Palmas".<ref>Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Palmas-de-Gran-Canaria Las Palmas de Gran Canaria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707233638/https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Palmas-de-Gran-Canaria |date=7 July 2019 }}, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 7 July 2019</ref> Rejón was head of the invading [[Kingdom of Castile|Castilian]] army, which then engaged in war with the locals.{{sfn|Andrews & Quintero|2007|p=27-28}}<ref name="Clavijo17732">{{cite book|author=José de Viera y Clavijo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3r5pdXuo-MC|title=Noticias de la historia general de las Islas de Canaria|year=1773|pages=57–58|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181104/https://books.google.com/books?id=U3r5pdXuo-MC|url-status=live}}</ref>

The war began at the mouth of the Guiniguada ravine, where he settled together with his 30 soldiers El Real de Las Palmas, which today is the district of [[Vegueta]].<ref name="Clavijo17732" />

The struggle lasted for a period of five years, costing a great number of lives, especially on the aboriginal side, which lacked sufficient means to defend itself against the armies sent by the Catholic monarchs. Even so, resistance was fierce. The end of the conquest came in 1483, with the incorporation of the island into the Crown of Castile by [[Pedro de Vera]], who managed to subjugate the natives of Gáldar in the northwest of the island.<ref name="Clavijo1773">{{cite book|author=José de Viera y Clavijo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3r5pdXuo-MC|title=Noticias de la historia general de las Islas de Canaria|year=1773|page=73|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181104/https://books.google.com/books?id=U3r5pdXuo-MC|url-status=live}}</ref>

On November 20, 1485, the diocese was transferred from El Rubicón (Lanzarote) to Real de Las Palmas.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVMgAQAAMAAJ|title=Anuario de estudios Atlánticos|year=2002|page=162|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181037/https://books.google.com/books?id=YVMgAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The importance of the city grew gradually, with the establishment of the Bishopric of the Canary Islands, the first Court of the Holy Inquisition, the Royal Court of the Canary Islands and the residence of the Captains General of the Canary Islands. Although the capital, as understood from the 19th century onwards, did not exist as such in the archipelago, given that the Captain General's Residence was in Las Palmas, it can be considered that this was the capital of the Canary Islands during part of the 16th and 17th centuries; afterwards, although without legal or real significance, it continued to be considered the honorary capital of the Canary archipelago.<ref name=":0" />

In 1492, [[Christopher Columbus]] (Spanish: Cristóbal Colón) anchored in the port of Las Palmas for a repair of the rudder of his ship ''Pinta''<ref name="Bradford2014">{{cite book|author=Ernle Bradford|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_q8fAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT74|title=Christopher Columbus|date=1 April 2014|publisher=Open Road Media|isbn=978-1-4976-1712-4|pages=74–|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181012/https://books.google.com/books?id=_q8fAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT74#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and spent some time on the neighbour island on his first trip to the Americas.<ref name="Bradford2014"/><ref name="Morison1991">{{cite book|author=Samuel Eliot Morison|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZofWAAAAMAAJ|title=Christopher Columbus: The Voyage of Discovery, 1492|publisher=Dorset Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0-88029-589-5|page=53|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181025/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZofWAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> He also stopped there on the way back to Spain.{{sfn|Andrews & Quintero|2007|p=29}} The {{Interlanguage link|Colón House|es|3=Casa de Colón (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)}} - a museum in the {{Interlanguage link|Vegueta|es}} district of the city - is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Redacción|date=2018-11-23|title=Casa Museo de Colón de Las Palmas - Revista de Viajes y Turismo|url=https://www.revistaiberica.com/casa-museo-de-colon/|access-date=2021-05-16|website=revistaiberica.com Viajes y turismo por España y Portugal|language=es|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516192847/https://www.revistaiberica.com/casa-museo-de-colon/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1595, [[Francis Drake]] tried to plunder the town, leading to the [[Battle of Las Palmas]].{{sfn|Andrews & Quintero|2007|p=29}} A Dutch raid under vice-admiral [[Pieter van der Does]] in 1599 was only slightly more successful; some of the town was destroyed, but the raiders were repelled.<ref name="Armas1999">{{cite book|author=Antonio Rumeu de Armas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9jdpAAAAMAAJ|title=La invasión de Las Palmas por el almirante holandés Van der Does en 1599|publisher=Cabildo de Gran Canaria|year=1999|isbn=978-84-8103-209-3|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181025/https://books.google.com/books?id=9jdpAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Torres1977">{{cite book|author=Agustín Millares Torres|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQsqAQAAMAAJ|title=Historia general de las islas Canarias|publisher=Cedirca|year=1977|isbn=978-84-85438-02-0|page=278|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025181026/https://books.google.com/books?id=fQsqAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

Las Palmas' seaport, ''Puerto de la Luz'' (known internationally as ''La Luz port''), the construction of which began in 1883 played significant role in modernizing the city and sped up its advancement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Las Palmas de Gran Canaria {{!}} Canary Islands, Spain {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Palmas-de-Gran-Canaria |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The port benefited greatly from the closure of the [[Suez Canal]] during the [[Suez Crisis]]. Many foreign workers migrated to the city at this time.

In 1927, the [[Province of Canary Islands]] was split into two provinces: of [[Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife|Santa Cruz de Tenerife]] and Las Palmas. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria became the capital of the latter, and integrated the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.{{Expand section|date=June 2009}}