Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PIRATES IN THE BAY
From the late 17th century, Panama Bay was the scene of pirate exploits unsur-
passed anywhere in the New World. It served as both hideout and attack spring-
board. After Captain Henry Morgan's successful 1671 sacking of Panama City, oth-
er buccaneers flooded in to pillage and plunder along the Pacific coast.
In May, 1685, the largest number of fighters ever assembled under a buccaneer
flag in the Pacific played cat-and-mouse with a Spanish armada of 18 ships. English
captain Edward Blake's French and English pirate fleet had plenty of muskets but
was deficient in cannons, so avoided long-range fighting.
When the two great forces crossed paths on May 28, Blake, who was itching for a
close encounter, ordered two of his principal ships to attack. Fearing the cannons,
both men refused to obey. The forces exchanged fire, but with odds stacked
against Blake he ordered the slower ships to flee while his and another fast vessel
delayed the conquistadors.
The pirates managed some risky evasive maneuvers between rocky islets and
anchored that night, expecting the Spanish armada to engage them the next day.
Instead, the Spanish fleet fled to Panama. Soon dissent arose among the buccan-
eers and the short-lived, French-English pirate confederacy dissolved.
Today, almost the only evidence of pirates in the Archipiélago de Las Perlas are
distant descendants of the Spaniards and their slaves. Forests once felled to build
ships have grown back. Storms, termites and wood worms have destroyed the old
Spanish structures, though a church and a stone dam on Isla Saboga testify to the
Spaniards' presence.
Exploiting this buccaneer reputation, the popular US TV showSurvivorset its
reality TV series here in autumn 2003.
Sights
Fine
beaches
lie in either direction from the ferry dock. Many visitors head right to the
island's most popular beach, arcing between Taboga and tiny Isla El Morro.
Walk left from the pier to the village. After a fork, a high road leads to a modest
church
with a simple square. Founded in 1550, it's the second-oldest church in the
Western Hemisphere; inside is a handsome altar and lovely artwork. Further down the
road, a beautiful public garden bares the statue of the island's patroness, Nuestra Señora
del Carmen.
Activities
