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 The municipality of Pajara, one of the oldest on the island of Fuerteventura, dates back to the beginning of the XVI century. It was born thanks to the settling of cattle raisers and fishermen. The total surface of the municipality is 386,3 Km2, with the longest coastline in Spain. The registered population is around 18.000 inhabitants but there are in fact about 30.000 people living in the municipality.
Numerous remains from the aborigine culture can still be seen all over the territory in this municipality: dry stone houses, caves used as homes; constructions for cattle such as corrals, bull pens etc...Other elements of archaeological and etnographic interest include prehistoric shell deposits and rupestrian engravings. The most important remains found is without doubt a wall of dry stone called “La Pared” (The Wall), situated along the isthmus of the same name. The wall is believed to have been used as a frontier between the two kingdoms that divided the island at the time of the conquest.
 There are doubts as to when the first inhabitants arrived on the island. In the skulls studied similarities have been found with the Cro Magnon skulls from the north of Algeria. The "guanches" were probably a reflection of the ethnic make-up of the Ibero-Mauritanians who lived in northern Africa during the Mesolithic period. The term "guanche" is generally applied to all the aborigine population of the Canary Islands prior to the Conquest. Navigators of Majorcan, Catalan, Andalusian, Portuguese, Genoese and other origins had all reached the islands before the Conquest, which was carried out by Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de La Salle in 1402. They entered by the Port of La Peña (Ajuy) with a force made up of 23 Normans and 40 Andalusians, subjected the island and later handed it over to the authority of the King of Castile, Enrique III. The first census, carried out in 1440, recorded a population of 1,200 residing mainly in the capital, Betancuria, and outlying areas.
Jean de Bethencourt French explorer, belonged to a noble family of Normandy, and held important offices at the court of Charles VI., king of France. His spirit was fired by hearing of the deeds of explorers and advefiturers, and having formed a plan to conquer the Canary Islands he raised some money by pledging his Norman estates, and sailed from La Rochelle on the 1st of May 1402 with two ships, commanded by himself and Gadifer de la Salle.
He was delayed by a mutiny off the coast of Spain, but reached the island of Lanzarote in July. Unable to carry out his project of conquest, he left his men at the Canaries and went to seek help at the court of Castile. He obtained men and provisions from Henry III. king of Castile, through the good offices of his uncle, Robert de Braquemont, who had considerable influence with Henry; he also received the title of king, and did homage to Henry for his future conquests. Returning to the Canaries in 1404 he found that Gadifer de la Salle had conquered Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and explored other islands.
La Salle, unwilling to accept a position of inferiority, left the Canaries and appealed unsuccessfully for redress at the court of Castile. Bethencourt was unable to complete his work of conquest and exploration. In 1405 he visited Normandy, and returned with fresh colonists who occupied Hierro. In December 1406 he left the islands to the government of his nephew, Maciot de Bethencourt, reserving for himself the royal title and a share in any profits obtained. He returned to Normandy, where he appears to have spent the remainder of his days.
He died in 1422, and was buried in the church of Grainville-la-Teinturire. Bethencourt wrote a very untrustworthy account of his conquest of the Canary Islands, Le Canarien, livre dc/a con qufte ci conversion ses Canaries. This has been published with introduction and notes by G. Gravier (Rouen, 1874), and an English translation was edited by R. H. Major for the Hakluyt Society (London, 1872).
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