History

Roatan is a beautiful stretch of island with deep green tropical forest, white sandy beaches and stunning Caribbean waters. It has been this way long before the Pirates and Buccaneers ruled these waters as they plundered the Spanish Galleons for their gold. Roatan and the Bay Islands are abundant with stories of Indians, Pirates, Buccaneers, Slave Traders, English Merchants, and Spanish Explorers.

Roatan lies approximately 40 miles off the northern coast of which is surrounded by the neighboring islands of Utila and Guanaja. It was in 1502 when Columbus discovered the populated island of Guanaja. A very short time after the Spanish started mining both gold and silver from mainland Honduras. At this time the Spaniards needed more workers so they brought in African slaves to work the mines.

A Dutchman named Van Horne raided Spanish-Indian settlements in the late 1630’s in competition with English and French pirates. In the early 1640’s English pirates occupied the area known as Old Port Royal where very old gun placements etc can still be found today…with the help of local residents of course.

With the pirates continually plundering the Spaniard’s New World Gold A Spanish commander by the name of Francisco Toledo attacked Old Port Royal with 3 other warships. The pirates managed to maintain control over Old Port Royal and eventually forced the Spaniards back to mainland Honduras for reinforcements. The commander returned to Old Port Royal and conquered the pirates in fierce and brutal fighting putting an end to their reign.

The English settled on the island of Roatan in 1742 under the control of Major Caulfield. He wrote a letter to the Governor of Jamaica which documents attempts by the Spanish to regain control over Roatan. Finally in 1782 the Spanish positioned troops and cannons against the English forts and eventually forced the English off the island by 1788. 11 years later in 1797 the English once again moved toward the Western Caribbean island of Roatan only to dump 5000 Black Caribs that they had enslaved from St. Vincent. Known today as Garifuna, a mixture of Carib and Arawak Indians, their descendents still live in the area of Roatan called Punta Gorda.

Europeans began settling on Roatan once again with the return of English between 1827 and 1834. In 1852, the British leadership appealed to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria to establish Roatan along with other islands to become a British colony. The United States objected, citing a treaty signed to create the Panama canal that forbad the United States and Britain from establishing new colonies in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1859, England relinquished control of the Bay Islands. The Republic of Honduras accepted the Bay Islands as the “Departemente de las Islas de la Bahia”, officially making the islands a part of Honduras.

Roatan's history is rich, spanning from the days of Indian inhabitants, to the days of piracy and looting, to fighting over which nation owns the island, to independence and modern times.

Today, Roatan is beginning to be discovered by tourists who enjoy the beauty, beaches and the desire to relax. With direct flights from the US, Canada and Europe it is extremely easy to enjoy your place in the sun and enjoy hearing folk-lore of our colorful past. For activities to be enjoyed on the island of Roatan send an email to eliteroatan@yahoo.com