Roatan History

The history of Roatan and her sister Islands includes three centuries of interaction between England, Spain and the Americas.

Christopher Columbus discovered the Islands in 1502 while on his fourth voyage which at the time were occupied by the Paya Indians.  During the next century, these fertile islands were used to provision Spanish galleons.

The first peaceful settlers were Puritan farmers, landing in 1638 from Maryland. In the early to mid 1800's, strong immigration occurred from Grand Cayman and England to the Bay Islands.

In fact, most of the modern Bay Island communities were established during this period and the majority of the native Bay Islanders today trace their ancestry to these early 19th century families.

Roatan has undergone many changes, first serving as the aboriginal home of the Paya Indians, a Mecca for buccaneers in the 17th century, and became a colony of the British Commonwealth in the 1850's,

Roatan is the owner of a colorful Caribbean history and a glowing future in environmental tourism. Roatan notable for its pristine aquamarine waters, lush topical foliage, hilly terrain staging unparalleled vistas, and a reef system offering protection to its sandy shores. One of the very last "undiscovered" islands of the Caribbean...

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