History of Panama's Bocas del Toro

This blog post was harder than I originally expected because there was not a lot of information on Panama's Caribbean coastal side just links sending me to Panama’s best islands to stay and visit at. I am going to write about the history of Bocas del Toro located on the southern tip of Colon Island.

Before Christopher Columbus and Spanish settlement there Bocas del Toro was occupied by the Guaymi, Teribe and Bokota tribes. They were a mix of Afrocaribbeans and Hispanic groups and though the tribes spoke different languages they were known as the biggest indigenous group in Panama. In 1502 while Christopher Columbus was on his final voyage of the New World he ‘discovered’ this region and made it a spot for ships to supply their items and repair. He named the region Bocas del Toro which translates to ‘The Bulls Mouth’. There is not a clear source as to why he gave Bocas del Toro the name but we know how he had the liking of naming places after himself. 

When the 17th century came around Pirates were influenced by Columbus’ spot for his ships that they also used the islands for their ships to be repaired and built. The pirates often used the region to shelter themselves as well. The knowledge of pirates being around the region and the absence of gold made the Spanish avoid and not even try to colonize Bocas del Toro unlike other areas of Panama that already had Spanish settlement. The Spanish avoiding the area soon changed when the French Huguenot began to arrive and made their own settlement there so the Spanish took charge with driving the Huguenots out. The consequence of the Spanish driving out the Huguenots was that the indigenous population also began to decline by diseases and conflicts. Next up on the settlement list were the rich aristocrats who occupied themselves with slaves from North America, Columbia, and Providencia Islands until the slaves were emancipated in 1850 with the end of slavery. Even though slavery was abolished the ex-slaves decided to stay in Boca del Toro with got jobs such as farmers and in the development of the banana industry. The United Fruit banana plantations helped greatly with it accounting for more than half of the export earnings in Panama. It was a prosperous moment until the banana industry was hit by a disease that caused the area to suffer later on but picked themselves right back up and today United Fruit is doing well with exporting tons of bananas each year. The islands were owned by Costa Rica but was then part of Colombia. In 1821 Panama joined Colombia and left from Spanish gain and in 1903 Panama finally gained its independence. Bocas del Toro is now known as a popular travel destination spot with tourism bringing in economic gains for Panama such luxary places being built for tourist to visit, employment for individuals, and income for locals living there. 

Work Cited

“Bocas Del Toro History Pt 2.” Over The Water Rentals, overthewaterrentals.com/bocas-del-toro-history-2.html.

Island Profiles, islandprofiles.com/bocas-background-a-short-history-of-bocas-del-toro.