Archaeological remains show that the early inhabitants of Gran Canaria became highly skilled in working with plant fibres, such as reeds and palm leaves, to make various items and clothing. Fibres were still used after the conquest of the island, but the weaving techniques, types of items produced, and the addition of new, semi-hard materials such as palm spine, willow and reeds brought substantial changes to Pre-Hispanic methods. The technique consisted of weaving or intertwining plant fibres that had been treated so they could be bent without breaking, and making the piece in the desired shape. Craftworkers needed only a few, simple tools for this work: a wooden or metal splitter, a knife and a mallet. The plant fibres they gathered were mainly cane, palm leaves, palm spine, willow, reeds, rye, bulrushes and broom. After the American aloe was introduced, its fibres were commonly used by artisans to make yoke pads for draught animals, espadrilles, and ropes and halters. Cane was the most commonly used fibre in basketwork, by itself or combined with willow stalks or thick strips of palm branches (the central spine of the leaf of the Canary Islands palm tree). The type of fibre used to make a basket depended on the intended use and size of the finished item.