La serie de sellos de madera procedentes de Gáldar, Gran Canaria

Abstract

Pintaderas are a special type of wooden stamp from the Canary Islands. They are generally hypothesized to be owner's marks. This implies the existence of a flockowning aristocracy and a servile peasantry. This is strinkingly reminiscent of the sharply drawn class distinctions among the ancient inhabitants of the town of Galdar. These nobles attempted to preserve a pure lineage by practising endogamy. In any case, the most interesting aspect of this study is perhaps the possibility of drawing contrasts between conclusions arribed at through archaeological analysis and through ethnoarchaeological methods.