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ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Gran Canaria riot 1777

Synopsis
The riot that erupted in the southwestern district of Gran Canaria in 1777 stemmed from a conflict between the corregidores (royal magistrates) and the inhabitants of several local communities, particularly Tejeda and La Aldea de San Nicolás, over the clandestine clearing and cultivation of crown lands. The immediate trigger occurred in September 1777, when the corregidor Ignacio Joaquín de Montalvo ordered the imprisonment of the alcalde of Tejeda, José de la Encarnación Sarmiento. In response, Manuel Araujo y Lomba, the sacristan of La Aldea de San Nicolás, alerted the inhabitants of Tejeda, setting the uprising in motion. A leading role was subsequently assumed by his son-in-law Antonio Ramírez, who succeeded in coordinating and uniting the local population. Between 30 September and 2 October, the conflict reached its peak. During these events, the insurgents drafted and collectively ratified, in a public assembly, a set of demands to be presented to the corregidor. Their principal objective was to secure the right to continue cultivating the disputed crown lands. Once these demands had been accepted, the movement rapidly lost momentum and the unrest subsided.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 3 days. Name in sources: Levantamiento o motín. Location: Southwest of Gran Canaria Island Country (current): Spain. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Clergymen, Local elites, Peasants. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Economic, Others. Leadership: José de la Encarnación Sarmiento, Manuel Araujo y Lomba, Antonio Ramírez. Relevance: low.

Further reading
MACÍAS HERNÁNDEZ, Antonio Manuel (1977). “El motín de 1777. Su significación socioeconómica en la comarca del suroeste de Gran Canaria”, Anuario de Estudios Atlánticos, 23: 263-345.
Cite this entry

Mena Acevedo, Daniel (2026). "Gran Canaria riot 1777", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Encyclopaedia of Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. https://mappingrebellions.com/revolt/gran-canaria-riot-1777/ (accessed on 05 August 2026).