History of San Andres and Providencia

History

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History of San Andres and Providencia

The first inhabitants of the islands were Miskito Indians who journeyed there from the coast of Nicaragua. Later discovered by the English, the islands of San Andres and Providencia were nevertheless settled by the Spanish. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the islands changed hands between the two powers several times, until 1793, when England formally recognized Spain’s claim.

The legendary privateer Sir Henry Morgan used both islands as bases: on Providence you can visit the ruins of a fort he used, which still has several ancient cannons strewn about, as well as a large rock formation known as “Morgan’s head.” On San Andres, you can visit Morgan’s Cave, a natural cave formation where Morgan allegedly stashed treasure. As with most places once frequented by pirates, the islanders tell tales of lost loot, but no one ever seems to find any.

The islands were settled at various times by the British, the Spanish and the Dutch, as well as blacks brought in from Jamaica to work the sugarcane and cotton fields, resulting in a blend of languages, cultures and physical appearances. Spanish is the language most commonly spoken, followed by English. Most of the native islanders speak a mixture of the two, a sort of Caribbeanized pidgin incomprehensible to outsiders, but they can speak standard Spanish if they wish. Different groups of immigrants have come to the islands over the years, including American missionaries in the 1800’s, Chinese, Arabs, and mainland Colombians.

Traditional island homes are sturdy, airy wooden structures with broad porches and old-fashioned wooden shutters. There are relatively few such homes anymore, however, as most of the people live in the large town of North End or in squat, cement homes built in the last fifty years. One of the best places to see traditional island architecture is at the Island House Museum.

Colombia claimed the islands in 1822 when it gained independence. First the United Provinces of Central America (1823-1840) and then Nicaragua disputed the claim, although neither ever had the military might to challenge Colombia.  Nicaragua has never given up, however, and as recently as 2001 filed a claim with the International Court of justice to resolve the matter. Colombia has responded by establishing military bases on the islands, although no one expects any shooting wars anytime soon. There is also a small movement on the island which seeks independence from Colombia.