Guinea is one of the oldest human settlements in El Hierro. Long before the arrival of the Norman and the Spanish conquerors, the island's numerous caves were home to the aboriginal people, known in El Hierro as the Bimbaches.

The same benign climate, excellent visibility, and, most importantly, the abundant water supply, all of which had first attracted the Bimbaches, also drew the Normans who had arrived with Jean de Bethencourt to the Canaries.

Archaeologists have found that there are in fact two Guineas: the one whose remains we see today and one beneath the surface, comprising a series of caves. The caves are the original Bimbache settlement which is slowly yielding up secrets: pottery shards, desiccated food and a variety of objects which will assist today’s experts shed light on the ancient past of Guinea.

The finds are helping to fill in the huge gaps in the history of the remote past of El Hierro and give an idea of how that first primitive expedition, which had somehow arrived from North Africa, organised itself into a thriving community.