| Utila Bay Island - History Utila’s history has a cultured legacy as rich and diverse as its physical landscape. Pre-Columbian Paya Indians were the original descendants of the island. They left many archaeological treasures, which have been spread throughout the higher flat lands of the island. By the early 1500’s colonization had begun by the Spanish.  Over the next century, the Spanish eventually eliminated the island of Indians by the early 1600’s. Britain, in an attempt to colonize the Caribbean from the Spanish, occupied the Bay Islands on and off during 1550-1700. During this time the Buccaneers found the mostly unprotected Islands a place for safe harbor and transport. Because of Utila’s rich pirate lore, scuba divers today continue to look for sunken treasure from Captain Morgan’s lost booty from his raid on Panama in 1671. In the mid-1800s the Honduran government forced the British to give back the Bay Islands. It was at this time that the nearly vacated island was being seeded by its now Caymanian roots. The island remains rich in Caymanian culture and dialect. For over 150 years Utila has been a part of Honduras. The government
works hard to promote and protect its unique and wonderful culture |
