When and how the Guanches arrived to the Canary Islands have remained poorly understood, not least since they lacked boats and the knowledge of how to navigate the surrounding seas. In fact, when Europeans colonized the islands in the 15th century CE they discovered a culture that much resembled Late Stone Age (Neolithic) cultures from Europe and the Mediterranean. This has led to a great deal of speculation about their origins but no conclusive answer has yet been found.