CULTURE TOUR OF INSULAR ISLANDS
The insular region of Colombia is the set of islands, cays, and islets far from the continental coasts, known as the San Andres and Providencia Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea and the Malpelo and Gorgona Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This does not include any river or inland lake islands.
The archipelago is located in the western Caribbean Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean, and is 775 km/482 miles away from the Atlantic coast of Colombia. It is the only insular department.
The weather is hot and humid, with temperatures between 25 – 31°C/ 77 – 88°F and very high humidity.
HISTORY OF THE ARCHIPELAGO
San Andres
Historically, the islands were frequented by the indigenous Miskito from Central America, who were later granted their own independence by the British. The British introduced new species of flora and fauna to the islands, as well as slaves from Africa and the Protestant religion, which became a fundamental element of these communities.
Spanish Colonization
In 1510, the archipelago came into Spanish possession; however, they did not establish any settlements since the continental area was more important to the Spanish Crown. In those days, San Andres was under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audience of Panama.
In 1544, the Spanish Crown decided to hand over the administration of the archipelago to the jurisdiction of the General Captaincy of Guatemala.
English Colonization
It was not until 1629 that European and English colonists settled in Santa Catalina and Providencia. Captain Henry Morgan settled in the archipelago in 1670 for ten years, turning it into his base of operations.
Sometime later, Tomas O’Neill presented the request to the Crown to assign the archipelago under the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada. The request was accepted and signed on November 20th. In 1803 and a royal decree was issued naming the archipelago of San Andres.
In 1822, the archipelago became part of the province of Cartagena, but in 1912, San Andres and Providencia were separated from the department of Bolívar, becoming an independent province of Colombia’s territory.
Colombia and Nicaragua
On May 5th. In 1930, Colombia and Nicaragua signed the Esguerra-Bárcenas treaty, which established the sovereignty of Nicaragua over the Mosquito Coast and Colombia over the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina.
The archipelago became a free port during the government of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1953, transforming the island into a commercial and tourist destination. Then, in 1991, under the new constitution, the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina was declared as one of the 32 departments of Colombia.
THE RAIZAL PEOPLE
Today, the islands are largely inhabited by the Raizal people, but to avoid confusion with the denomination of natives given to the indigenous people, they are called raizales and are the product of the miscegenation between indigenous, Spanish, French, English, Dutch, and African.
We work with and recommend booking flights with www.kiwi.com
The English were the strongest colonizers of the Caribbean islands, and as a consequence, British culture is the predominant one today in San Andres and among the Raizales. They are descendants of the Reggae culture, which is why San Andrés is considered one of the Caribbean Rastafarian paradises.
However, the Raizal culture has its own expressions, with the Anglican religion, Creole language, and oral tradition reflecting the African roots of the majority of the population, represented through the stories and tales for children.
The Raizales of San Andres, Colombia, use English and Creole as their main language, although Spanish is becoming more and more common.
MUSIC
The music from this insular region varies from softer, more elegant rhythms like the waltz to the vibrant sounds of cowbells and accordions of Caribbean music. Throughout these islands, the influence and impact of African culture are seen in many ways.
Among the most common sounds and expressions in the regional music are the drums and rites (ritual) songs of African Americans, usually accompanied by instruments such as mandolin and guitar, considered European contributions.
Here are some of the most enchanting songs and music of the islands:
Creole Group of San Andres y Providencia:
This music is sung in the native language, which is a combination of Spanish, English and Creole, a mix of African languages.
FESTIVALS
The Festival de la Luna Verde (Green Moon Festival) is a celebration that spotlights a way of being and celebrating that is typical of Afro-Caribbean people. Despite being of recent origin, the festival presents characteristics that tell the long history of these islands.
The absolute disappearance of the indigenous presence, as well as the colonization by the English, who introduced Africans to work in large plantations, are manifested today in music and song.
DANCES
Calypso is characterized by hip movements and is performed in pairs, often danced to celebrate weddings and festive occasions.
Here are some videos that show how Calypso is performed:
Mazurca
When dancing Mazurca, which again is performed in pairs, participants make sensual movements of the torso while moving elegantly around the room, making circles while dancing.
Here is a video that illustrates how to perform the Mazurca:
GASTRONOMY
Due to its insular nature and proximity to the ocean, fish and seafood are the main features of the traditional cuisine of the insular region. Influences from other parts of the world, as well as cooking methods and flavour fusions, contributed to what is known as Colombian island cuisine.
Rondón, a traditional soup made by the raizales, the original inhabitants of the island, is prepared mainly with coconut milk that serves as the base for cooking all the other ingredients. This soup generally includes fish, crab, pork tail, green plantain, cassava, yam, fried corn tortillas, and snails, seasoned with salt and pepper.
The traditional lemonade made with lemon juice and water is taken to another level in the Colombian islands by adding the traditional flavour of coconut. As for dessert, with its sweet flavour and striking orange colour, Pumpkin Cake makes a perfect and delicious option made from a vegetable grown in the area and traditionally prepared as a puree.
The insular region of the Pacific Ocean comprises the islands of Gorgona, Gorgonilla and Malpelo. which hold important marine ecosystems that harbour a great amount of coral and aquatic species. The Pacific archipelago is mostly lush jungle with heavy rainfall year-round, making it profusely rich in flora and fauna.
HISTORY
Malpelo
Malpelo Island was presumably isolated from human contact before European discovery and today it remains virtually uninhabited, located in the same area as other oceanic eastern Pacific islands, such as Cocos Island, Galápagos and the Revillagigedo Islands, which were also all uninhabited at the time of European discovery and possibly throughout their entire history prior to that.
DISCOVERY
The exact date of Malpelo’s discovery is unclear, although it may have been the first of the remote eastern Pacific islands to have been discovered by Europeans, as it appears on Peruvian maps from as early as 1530. Malpelo became a possession of Spain following its discovery and was subsequently annexed by Peru and later Colombia.
NATURAL HISTORY
Known as the Malpelo Nature Reserve, a plant and wildlife sanctuary, Malpelo Island was declared by UNESCO as a natural World Heritage Site because of its status as an important shark reserve on July 12th, 2006, and the surroundings of the island have become the largest no-fishing zone in the East Pacific, measuring over 850,000 hectares/2,100,000 acres.
At first glance, the island seems to be barren rock, devoid of all vegetation, but deposits of bird guano have helped colonies of algae, lichens, mosses and some shrubs and ferns to establish, all of which glean nutrients from the guano. However, the island is also home to a unique species of land crabs, Johngarthia malpilensis, first described in 1893 and a large shark population. Swarms of hammerhead sharks and hundreds of silky sharks are frequently seen by diving expeditions, making it a very popular shark diving location. It is also one of the few places where the small-tooth sand tiger has been seen alive, frequently spotted at the dive site El Bajo del Monstruo.
Begin organizing your dream Colombian getaway right away by using our Plan My Trip page!
The island has also been recognised as an Important Bird Area because it supports a breeding population of some 60,000 -110,000 Nazca boobies, as estimated in 2007. Interestingly, lizards are the only non-avian vertebrates on the island, with three species in total.
GORGONA
Gorgona, a little-known part of Colombia’s history, is often compared to Alcatraz or Robben Island.
Until 1984, this 26 square kilometre/10 square miles island situated 55 kilometres/34 miles off Colombia’s Pacific coast was a tragic place, where political prisoners and dangerous criminals were sent to serve out their sentences, sometimes until death.
Gorgona is a humid mix of volcanoes and jungle, where it rains daily and the waters teem with dolphins and whales. It was discovered in 1526 by Spanish conquistadors, who lost 87 men to venomous snake bites within a few months of arrival. It was thus named after Medusa, a Gorgon in Greek mythology whose hair was made of snakes. For a time, it was a pirate haven; however, that was long before the Colombian state appropriated it to build the prison.
There are many legends around Gorgona, most of them are unverifiable, but what is certain is that it was a place of punishment and terrible suffering. More than a thousand prisoners passed through the prison including murderers and rapists, but also political detainees from La Violencia, Colombia’s ten year civil war.
Visitors sometimes have very negative feelings about Gorgona. Most buildings have been swamped by the encroaching jungle, but one remains, revealing a series of wooden bunk beds without mattresses.
One place embodies the misery of the prison more than any other: the disciplinary quarter where isolation cells are secured with heavy iron bars. Here, the most feared punishment was called the can, an 80-centimetre/31-inch wide pit where prisoners were forced to stand for days on end in squalid water up to their necks.
The can
The prison was closed in 1984 after pressure from human rights organisations, as well as ecologists and scientists eager to protect the island’s natural paradise.
Eco-tourism is booming on the island, overshadowing its harrowing past. Colombians and the world need to discover this dark historical place.
Like to create or customize a fantastico package tour of Colombia? Use our Plan My Trip page to start planning your dream Colombian vacation now!