History of Isla de San Andres

17th century

The English Puritans were the first to arrive; they hailed from Barbados and also from England. Between 1627 and 1629 the came to settle in the salubrious climate and take advantage of the fertile land of the islands.

The Anglo Puritans evicted the Dutch settlers in 1631. Settlers also came from Wales. All colonists first came to San Andrés and later moved to the Providence Island colony on what is now Providencia Island as its mountain terrain provided fresh water resources and safety from invaders. Enslaved people of West African birth or descent were brought in by British shipowners in 1633 from Jamaica. They were initially brought to work in lumbering, as well as to grow cotton and tobacco.

In 1635, the Spaniards, realizing the economic importance of the island, attacked the archipelago. However the Spaniards were driven out soon after they occupied the islands.

Pirates also operated from here, including English pirate Henry Morgan who used it in 1670 as one of the centers of his operations. The pirates attacked Spanish ships carrying gold and other precious material that sailed in the Caribbean waters. They also attacked  Panama and Santa Maria. The bounty looted by the pirates is still believed to be hidden in some underwater cave in the area.

Pirate Henry Morgan

18th century

After the temporary Spanish occupation of the islands, they