| The Canarians built their houses near the sea with dry stones, stacked without any mortar. The structures consist of a double wall (the space between the walls filled with small stones) providing support and insulation from the weather. The rooms of the houses are formed in the same cross-shape as those of cave homes found elsewhere on the island. The roofs of the buildings, no longer preserved, were probably made of wooden beams, branches, or sod. These structures are found in clusters at many places near the ocean in Gran Canaria (see also Tufia). Most likely they were part of fishing communities that were occupied seasonally.
Left: The stone remains of an ancient house by the sea, modern structures in the background | 
![[image]](http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/canary/jpegs/canary5.jpeg)
