The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan. It is approximately thirty seven miles long and less than five miles across at its widest point, volcanic in creation it is incredibly fertile, lush and green. The most populous town of the island is Coxen Hole, capital of Roatán municipality, located in the southwest. Other important towns include French Harbour, West End and Oak Ridge.

The easternmost quarter of the island is separated by a channel through the mangroves that is an average fifteen meters wide. This area is called Helene, or Santa Elena in Spanish. Satellite islands at the eastern end are Morat, Barbaretta and Pigeon Cay. Further west between French Harbour and Coxen Hole is Stamp Cay and Barefoot Cay. The population is around eighteen thousand and the biggest industry is tourism with up to six cruise ships in per day during the season. People also come on diving holidays to enjoy the clear water and huge variety of sea life. 

Later in the day we saw evidence that the island is ‘growing’ out of the sea, with coral clearly showing at the waters edge

We passed many villages set around the numerous inlets

 Our next stop was to watch a dolphin show (own blog) and visit the smart little museum.

In 1639 the native population of the Bay Islands approached four hundred residents spread among four native settlements: Guanaja and Utila on the islands of those names and Maca and Roatan on the island of Roatan. The tribute delivered by the heads-of-family on Guanaja was used to pay for lookouts at the port of Trujillo, but this same protection did not extend to the islands. In the same year, Dutch pirates burned the eighty houses and church on Guanaja. The same fate befell the settlements of Maca and Roatan.

Nevertheless, the islands continued to supply important goods. The Indians were well known as skilled rope makers using vines and sedges, their fame as fishermen was also well known. In fact, “a large part of the subsistence of the town of Trujillo and seafarers rests on the fish,” claimed a document from the time. In addition to all this, the Indians paid a special kind of periodic labour tribute (Tequetin), that is, they would spend a week working in groups for the Spanish colonists and crown government in Trujillo.

 

Pirates and buccaneers restocked their ships in the islands. It is known from historical records that pirates used Port Royal Harbour for beaching and repairing the hulls of their ships. Evidence of these refitting activities, such as iron axes, iron and bronze spikes also hunks of pine resin have been recovered from Careening Key, a small sand bar just east of Fort Key. Besides foodstuffs, ship refitting supplies and safe ports the islands provided native guides who (either voluntarily or by force) aided pirate attacks on Rio Dulce and Trujillo. To end this collaboration, Spanish authorities ordered the forced depopulation of the islands in 1642. The natives of Guanaja were known to be strong collaborators with the enemies of the Spanish crown. For this, they were exiled inland to Comayagua. The Indians from Maca and Roatan, on occasion warned the Spanish of pirate activities. These populations were resettled at Gualmoreto lagoon, near Trujillo. Because of these forced movements, subsequent mixed populations of the Bay Islands have not included indigenous peoples.

Native Slavery: Before beginning the conquest of Honduras, Spanish from the Greater Antilles made slavery raids in the Bay Islands. An account of one of these infamous escapades survives today.

“A fleet sent by the Governor of Cuba attacked the islands, took several hundred Indian captive and shipped them immediately back to Cuba. Once in port, the Spanish left these ships unguarded. The captives seized one vessel and made sail back to the Bay Islands. Even though the Indians were pursued and eventually recaptured in the Bay Islands by the Spanish, this event demonstrates the knowledge and skill of these island navigators, even with such unfamiliar craft as those of the Europeans.”

   

Yaba Ding Ding: a colourful term, which may be unique to the Bay Islands. Some islanders use it to signify any Pre-Columbian artifact, but it is usually reserved for the great quantity of detached supports or adornments of the Cocal period ceramic vessels, which abound here.

We stopped for lunch at an Argentinian restaurant opposite the beach , passed the oldest settlement, (when the islands grew once more) – Jonesville 1852 and many lovely houses.

Our last stop was at the lighthouse, we paid a whole dollar to go to the top 

The view from the top does not show the wind. The weather has changed and there will be no boats leaving the island, heading east for at least a week.

ALL IN ALL A FUN DAY OUT