Battle of Aguere The Battle of Aguere , or Battle of San Cristóbal de La Laguna , was fought between forces of the Crown of Castile , led by the Adelantado ( military governor ) Alonso Fernández de Lugo , and the natives of Tenerife , called Guanches . The battle took place November 14 – 15 , 1494 . Fernández de Lugo had suffered defeat by Guanche forces at the First Battle of Acentejo . The Battle of Aguere was a Castilian victory ; whereas in the First Battle of Acentejo the Guanches had been favored by their knowledge of the mountainous terrain , in this engagement , the native forces found themselves at a disadvantage on the plain of Aguere . The Battle of Aguere was later followed by the decisive Second Battle of Acentejo more than a month later , which resulted in the complete Castilian conquest of Tenerife . Preparations . After the First Battle of Acentejo , Alonso Fernández de Lugo returned to Gran Canaria , practically without troops , as the Castilian forces had suffered between 1 , 000 and 2 , 000 casualties at the First Battle of Acentejo . At Gran Canaria , Fernández de Lugo established contact with the merchants Francisco de Palomar , Nicolás de Angelote , Guillermo del Blanco and Mateo Viña in order to seek financial support for his planned conquest of Tenerife . The group enlisted the aid of Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán , the Duke of Medina Sidonia , who contributed 600 soldiers and 30 horsemen , veterans of the conquest of Granada . ( Béthencourt Alfonso cites , however , 670 foot soldiers and 80 horsemen ) . 500 Castilian soldiers were added to this force , a group that included survivors of the First Battle of Acentejo and a small contingent sent by Doña Inés Peraza , a noblewoman of Lanzarote . Fernández de Lugo also had the support of Ferdinand and Isabella , who had given him ten more months to complete his conquest of the Canaries . During this time of regrouping , he also captured many slaves in Gran Canaria . The Castilian force embarked from Gran Canaria in November in 6 caravels and about a dozen smaller ships , and headed towards the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife . The total force numbered about 1 , 200 men , with a small company of knights and some artillery – a force comparable in size to that which was defeated at Acentejo , but much more experienced and better trained and prepared . The Castilian advance . The expedition , which Lugo had also funded with the sale of all of his properties , had landed at Santa Cruz , where he built two towers on the spot where he had constructed his first fort before his prior defeat . After fortifying Santa Cruz , the Castilian marched on November 13 – 14 towards La Cuesta , a strategic high point to which the forces ascended to San Cristóbal de La Laguna from the coast . The Castilians maintained Santa Cruz as their base of operations , with their fleet waiting there in case of a defeat . In terms of strategy , the tableland of San Cristóbal de La Laguna was of vital importance to the conquest of the island . The path to reach the tableland from the coast , the path of La Cuesta , in those days was covered by thick vegetation that included Canarian pine , broom , beech , heather , palm trees , dragos , savin and other species , and so the accession up the hill was a dangerous undertaking . Fernández de Lugo garrisoned Santa Cruz to prevent a surprise attack . Meanwhile , the Guanches , alerted by inhabitants on the coast , gathered their forces . The " mencey " ( the native term for a king ) Bencomo sent emissaries to the other " menceys " , and gathered about 2 , 000 warriors at La Cuesta before the Castilians had reached that point . Bencomo sent two spies to observe the strength and size of the Castilian forces . However , the spies were discovered by the Castilians , and Bencomo could not benefit from any intelligence regarding the enemy forces . This gave the Castilians an early advantage , although they suffered from the disadvantage of advancing up a difficult height surrounded by Guanche warriors . However , having garrisoned Santa Cruz , Fernández de Lugo decided to take a risk in advancing this way , while Bencomo did not have sufficient forces to cover a possible retreat or defeat . Fernández de Lugo was able to determine the movements of the Guanche forces thanks to their campfires , and ordered the advance of his 70 horsemen and 1 , 000 soldiers up La Cuesta under the cover of darkness , gaining the highest point of La Cuesta without being seen by the enemy . The battle . The next day the Guanche forces were surprised that the Castilians had ascended La Cuesta and were dominating the rising grounds in the midst of the plain of Aguere . The laurisilva - covered area called Aguere by the natives included Las Mercedes , parts of present - day San Cristóbal de La Laguna , Ortigal , and other bordering regions . Bencomo reorganized his forces and with 5 , 000 men rushed to what are now the outskirts of San Cristóbal , intending to cut off the Castilians . However , before the Guanche forces could do this , Fernández de Lugo ' s army had already appeared before them . The Guanche center was commanded by Bencomo , the right flank by Acaymo , " mencey " of Tacoronte ; and the left flank by Tinguaro . The Castilian army extended from the present - day hermitage of Gracia , which was selected by Fernández de Lugo due to its height , dominating the plain , to the positions on the field taken by Bencomo ' s contingent of troops . Based on this information , Buenaventura Bonnet believes that the battle took place in the area now known as Barrio del Timple , Barrio Nuevo or Viña Nava , and the Urbanización de la Verdellada . Fernández de Lugo ' s forces included natives from the other Canary Islands , including the Christianized Guanche prince of Gran Canaria , Fernando Guanarteme ; Fernando ' s brother Maninidra ; Gomerans , Palmeros , and Guanches from the Christianized " menceyato " or kingdom of Güímar . The battle began with an assault by the Guanche troops , who were armed with traditional weapons like the " banote " or " banot " ( a lance whose point was hardened by fire ) . They had no shields or armor , and wore the " tamarco " , a sheep or goat skin used for protection and warmth . The Guanche forces also hurled rocks . The Castilian vanguard consisted of harquebusiers and crossbowmen who mowed the attacking Guanche ranks with their projectiles . The Castilian pikemen and horsemen then attacked the Guanches who were fleeing the crossbow and harquebus fire . This first engagement lasted several hours , and consisted of continual frontal attacks by Bencomo ' s forces . The flat terrain of the plain of Aguere benefited the Castilians , and Bencomo ' s troops began to waver , suffering from a disorderly retreat , especially when the Guanche allies of the Castilians under Fernando de Guanarteme , arriving from Santa Cruz , began to arrive on the field of battle . The Castilian cavalry wreaked terrible losses on the Guanche forces . Miguel de Unamuno compared Fernández de Lugo ' s cavalry charge with the military actions of Hernán Cortés in Mexico : " And then into the fray entered the horse , that monster that always put so much fear into the poor Indians . . . The result of those battles was always inevitable . . . Bencomo and his troops had to abandon the field of La Laguna . " Retreat of Guanche forces and Tinguaro ' s death . Bencomo , Acaymo , and Tinguaro were all badly injured . They ordered their forces to retreat towards Tacoronte . The Castilians attacked again , preventing an orderly Guanche retreat . At the end of the day , Bencomo ordered a retreat towards the peak of San Roque , a move that would prevent cavalry attacks and where his men could defend themselves more effectively . Tinguaro , injured in battle , continued to defend himself against seven horsemen as he retreated up the peak of San Roque . However , at the height of San Roque , a Castilian soldier named Martín Buendía was waiting for him on a cliff . Buendía had arrived on the field of battle separately from the rest of the Castilian troops , and had walked from Santa Cruz via the ravines of Santos and Drago . Tinguaro , badly hurt and weakened by the loss of blood , spoke to Buendía in the Guanche language , informing the Castilian of his status as a prince . Buendía , ignoring Tinguaro ' s entreaty , ran the Guanche through with a pike . However , some historians contradict this account . Francisco P . De Luka writes , in the magazine " Awañac " ( no . 1 , 2004 , pp . 124 – 125 ) , that on November 14 , 1494 , Bencomo , not Tinguaro , was killed by Buendía . Francisco P . De Luka writes that on the slopes of San Roque in Laguna , Bencomo , armed with a lance , fought against ten Castilian soldiers , and that one Pedro Martín Buendía mortally wounded Bencomo with a pike . Tinguaro was injured in the fight at San Roque as well , but died two days later at Taoro . As it happened , the body of the fallen Guanche prince was so badly disfigured that when the Castilians translated it to Santa Cruz and made inquiries amongst the Guanche prisoners , the Guanches were unable to determine whether the body was that of Tinguaro or Bencomo . In any case , Fernández de Lugo had the body decapitated . The head of the Guanche prince was placed on a pike and Fernández de Lugo ordered it to be taken to the enemy camp . The Guanches of Acentejo received the head to honor it in a funeral ceremony ; a retinue , which included Tinguaro ' s wife Guajara , traveled to the kingdom of Taoro for this ceremony . In one last and final stand , the reduced Guanche forces , led by an injured Bencomo , tried to reach the heights of La Laguna , but they were cut to pieces by the Castilian cavalry . The cavalry was followed by the Castilian pikemen and rodeleros ( " shield bearers " ) , who were equipped with steel shields or buckler s known as " rodela " and sword s ( usually of the side - sword type ) . One of these rodeleros killed Bencomo , and hundreds of Guanche warriors also fell at this time . The Guanche survivors headed towards Taoro , and the next day elected Bencomo ' s son Bentor as their new king . Some historians doubt that the death of Bencomo occurred at this time , but most historians base the fact that he died at this time on the testimony of witnesses such as Margarita Guanarteme , who declared in 1526 that in the battle , " they killed the Great King who was called King Venitomo [ sic ] of Taoro . . . " In terms of Guanche casualties , Marín y Cubas cites 2 , 600 , while Viana has a lower figure : 1 , 700 casualties . Figures on Castilian casualties are held as being between 30 and 55 dead and dozens of injured . Guanche casualties are said to have been so high that it caused an epidemic , which is also said to have forced Fernández de Lugo to move towards Acentejo . After the battle . By the end of the year , Fernández de Lugo would penetrate the north of the island at Taoro , where some 6 , 000 Guanches waiting for him at Acentejo . Fernández de Lugo would decisively defeat these forces at the Second Battle of Acentejo . Bentor would commit suicide , throwing himself off the cliff of Tigaiga .