History of Isla Taboga

Isla Taboga is part of an archipelago situated 20km (12 miles) south of Panama City. The largest of the island chain, Isla Taboga (571 hectares; population 1500) dots the Pacific side of the Panama Canal and boasts a rich diversity of tropical flora and a history marked by international influences.

Isla Taboga sits in close proximity to Isla Morro, which is roughly one square hectare and at low tide connects to Taboga's main beach, Playa Restinga. The bay these islands share once served as a harbor for ships, and the islands themselves provided a strategic location to settle—there was an abundant supply of fresh water, worshippers could pray in the second oldest church in the hemisphere, and those doing business in Panama City could easily anchor and take smaller boats to the mainland.

Indiginous inhabitants Taboga was first inhabited by Indians, who lived in thatch huts and fished for a livelihood. The island’s original name was “Aboga,” which originated from the Indian word meaning “an abundance of fish.” The Spanish Period (1515 – 1840)

Taboga's earliest inhabitants were virtually eliminated during the Spanish conquest. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa was credited with discovering Taboga and Morro in 1513. That year, the Spaniards sailed to the island to establish a settlement, killing or enslaving the Indians and stealing their gold. When a decree by Charles V ended slavery, about 700 slaves, most of them shipped from Venezuela and Nicaragua, remained in Panama. A handful of the surviving native slaves settled Taboga, developing their settlement two