Lanzarote Devils in Texas: A Diabletes Costume Finds a Home at the Alamo

The handover was formalised in a meeting between the president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, and Víctor Padrón, president of the Asociación Cultural Los Diabletes de Teguise. The costume is destined for the museum space specifically dedicated to the Canary Islanders who founded San Antonio in 1731. It is a deeply symbolic gesture, placing a figure born from Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape and aboriginal past into the heart of a museum that tells the story of Texan independence and colonial history.

Betancort framed the donation as a powerful cultural bridge. He stated that Los Diabletes are one of the most representative manifestations of Lanzarote’s identity, and that their inclusion in the Alamo Museum will show the world a unique tradition while strengthening the historical ties uniting the Canary Islands and Texas. This is not a generic cultural exchange; it is a homecoming of sorts, a recognition that the roots of San Antonio run deep into the soil of a specific Canary Island.

A 300-Year-Old Family Reunion

The story begins not with a carnival, but with a migration. In 1731, families from the Canary Islands arrived in what is now San Antonio to establish a civilian settlement. Historical records show that of the 56 families who undertook this journey, a remarkable 44 were from Lanzarote. They brought with them their language, their customs, and their deep-seated agricultural knowledge, shaping the cultural DNA of the region. Their descendants, known as Isleños, are a living community in Texas today.

The Alamo Museum already maintains a space dedicated to the presence of these Canarian settlers. Until now, the story has largely been told through documents, maps, and narratives of the journey. The arrival of the Diabletes costume changes this dramatically. It puts a face—a terrifying, horned, and utterly mesmerising face—onto that abstract history. For an Isleño descendant visiting the museum, it offers a visceral, visual connection to the specific island traditions their ancestors left behind, a tradition that is still very much alive in Teguise every Carnival Sunday morning.

Who Are Los Diabletes?

To understand the weight of this donation, you have to understand what Los Diabletes represent. They are not simply carnival entertainers. They are described by Canarian heritage institutions as one of the oldest traditions in the entire archipelago. Their most remote origin lies in the ritual dances of the mahos, the aboriginal inhabitants of Lanzarote. These were competitive, festive performances linked to pastoral life and fertility rites, with participants dressed in skins and carrying symbolic clubs.

With the Castilian conquest in the 15th century and the arrival of Franciscan clergy, this pagan energy was cleverly redirected. The church adapted the horned figures into Christian celebrations, particularly Corpus Christi. The Diabletes were cast as representations of evil in a theatrical battle between good and the devil. Over centuries, this fusion of aboriginal rite and medieval theatre settled into its modern home: the Carnival of Teguise, where Los Diabletes form the most ancestral and emblematic part of the festivities, a true symbol of the island’s cultural heritage.

The Costume: A Symbol of Virility and Protection

The costume itself is a complex tapestry of symbols. It embodies a billy goat, an allegory of virility and survival. The modern ensemble is striking: white trousers and a shirt of muslin or canvas, hand-painted with red and black diamond patterns, each rhombus often featuring a dot in the centre. The mask is a large, fearsome creation, typically formed as an ox or bull’s head but crowned with real goat horns, blending bovine and caprine imagery. It is usually black or red, with a long red tongue to enhance the devilish appearance.

Across the shoulders and back, leather straps hold a collection of bells, small cowbells, and brass and wooden rattles. This makes their approach an intensely sonic experience; you hear them before you see them. In their hand, they carry a short wooden stick with a small sack attached, filled with paper, rags, or a little earth. This is used to strike the ground and to playfully scare or lightly hit people, especially children. Some accounts even associate the modern painted costume design with the work of the iconic Lanzarote artist César Manrique. Beyond the spectacle, the figure is interpreted as a protector against evil spirits and misfortune—a folkloric amulet to ward off plagues and the “demons” of chronic drought.

Why a Museum in Texas Matters

Placing this costume in the Alamo Museum is a profound act of transatlantic heritage circulation. A ritual figure born of aboriginal maho dances, shaped by Franciscan theatre, and kept alive by the people of Teguise is now being interpreted in a North American site tied to a completely different colonial history. It creates a visible, tangible link between the 18th-century migration story and the living intangible heritage of Lanzarote.

For the Canarian and Lanzarote communities, it means their flagship ritual figure is being recognized and preserved in a major American historic site. Their unique, mixed history is represented on an international stage. For Texas audiences and Isleño descendants, the exhibit provides a concrete, visually arresting anchor for their ancestry. It moves the story beyond a generic “Spanish” origin to a specific place: Teguise, Lanzarote. It invites them to reconnect with the island imagery, fertility rites, and carnival devils that shaped the culture their ancestors carried across the ocean. Even as a museum exhibit, a “little piece of Lanzarote” is now physically installed in San Antonio, a silent but powerful testament to a shared and enduring identity.