History of Isla Taboga

The Founding of San Pedro In 1524, Father Hernando de Luque, the dean of Panama's cathedral, built a house on Taboga and founded the town of San Pedro. Around this same time, the development of Isla Morro was under way. Francisco Pizarro (1471 – 1541)

The Spanish conquistadors Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro (1475 - 1538), along with Panama's Father Hernando de Luque, formalized a plan to conquest South America. The trio had made previous expeditions together from 1516 to 1517, and by the beginning of August 1524, they had received Spain's permission to conquer lands further south. Toward the end of the Inca Empire, they devised an expedition to conquer Peru, with the aim of defeating Incan emperor Atahualpa during the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532. Throughout their conquests, the Spaniards continued colonizing Taboga and were a dominating presence until 1549, when Panama freed its Indian slaves and a number of them chose to make Taboga their home. A fort was built on Isla Morro to protect Taboga and its important bay during this period. Santa Rosa of Lima: First Saint of the Western Hemisphere (1586 -– 1617)

There are two stories on the early days of Santa Rosa de Lima, and both begin in Taboga. According to Taboga historians, the parents of the young girl who was later to be canonized lived in a charming house on the beach skirting the island's northern side. The house still stands today, although somewhat modernized. Later, the girl's family moved to Peru. Peruvian lore claims that Santa Rosa de Lima was conceived on Isla Taboga, born on April 30, 1586, and baptized as Isabel Flores de Oliva. Her parents were the soldier Gaspar Flores from Puerto Rico and a Peruvian needlewoman named María de Oliva. María began calling her daughter Rosa, a