Pintadera

The size of the pintaderas varies significantly, ranging between 2 and 12 cm. They usually have a small handle, which is sometimes pierced, that allows the owner to hang the stamp from a string.

The function of the pintaderas is unclear. Perhaps they were used by the natives to apply natural dyes to their body as a form of decoration. Alternatively, they may have been used to mark sealed grain silos with the owner's personal emblem.

Collections of pintaderas are housed at the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Tenerife), El Museo Canario (Gran Canaria) and Painted cave, Gáldar (Gran Canaria).

Pintadera stamps were also used in the first agricultural settlements in Europe and the Anatolian homeland these farmers came from.