History of Isla Taboga

lls. Three of the pirates were killed and buried by the villagers, who marked their graves with wooden crosses. To this day, Taboganos light candles in memory of the invaders who dared to disturb the peace of their little island.

The English Period (1840 – 1882) Many travelers heading to the west coasts of North or South America used Taboga and Morro as a resting point until ships were leaving for their final destinations. A number of companies, mostly British and apparently some Dutch, offered a full set of tourist services on Isla Morro, including a small theater and a boat repair shipyard. Morro played an important role in world shipping. The Pacific Steamship Navigation Company of England, which owned ships that sailed between England and the Pacific ports of South America, extended its route to include Panama and purchased Morro around 1840. The British built workshops, a ship repair facility, supply stores and a coaling station, and they brought over Irish crews as laborers. The Pacific Steamship Navigation Company comprised a fleet of 12 vessels that transported passengers and cargo between Valparaiso, Chile, and Isla Taboga.

The English Period could also be called Taboga's Golden Age. During this time, the island was the seat of government for all the islands in the Gulf of Panama, and Taboganos prospered. The completion of the Panama Railroad in the mid-1850s put Pacific Steamship Navigation Company out of business, and the British moved their enterprise to Callao, Peru. Around this same time, thousands of gold-mining ‘49ers found respite on Taboga, living in boarding houses before embarking on adventures in the California Gold Rush.

Remnants of the Pacific Steamship Company building and pier are still visible on Morro. From time to time, people stumble upon hand-blown bottles bearing the company’s crest.

Isla Morro's