Town History

Pre-columbian Bocas del Toro history :

The earliest settlers along the river valleys of Bocas del toro Panama date back to 600 B.C. Cerro Brujo on peninsula Aguacate is located between Isla Popa and Isla Cristobal was a small farming and fishing village known for hunting Manatees. Recently a large and culturally sophisticated settlement dating between 900 and 1500 AD was discovered at Boca Del Drago.

Bocas del Toro history – Christopher Columbus :

Christopher Columbus did not find Gold in Bocas Del Toro Panama on his fourth and final New World voyage. In 1502 when he sailed his two ships into the bay called by Indians “Caroboro”, today Bahia Almirante, the Bocas Del Toro archipelago was inhabited by three main nomadic tribes the Guaymi, Teribe and Bokota Indians. With no gold to be found,  Bocas del toro was not colonized by the Spaniards; however Columbus did leave his personal mark with the naming of Bahia de Almirante-Admirals Bay, Isla Cristobal-Christopher Island, and Isla Colon-Columbus Island. Columbus did go  ashore into the Mainland searching for gold but was detoured by the dense wet tropical rain forests and a weary crew. Rumors of lost Gold mines in the Mountains still exist to this day.

Bocas del Toro history – colonial period :

Isolated from Panama but open to the rest of the world and the Caribbean, bocas del toro had an interesting history during the three following centuries. During the colonial period (16th to 19th centuries) the Spanish didn’t have established populations in the region which was almost forgotten by their government. The English took advantage of this fact establishing settlements  in Boca Del Drago where it was reported, in 1745, that they were growing cattle and chickens.

Bocas del Toro history – pirates :

During the 17th century the bocas archipelago became a safe haven for pirates. The pirates were able to build and repair ships freely due to the absence of Spaniards Bocas. The abundance of food and wood from the rainforests made this an ideal location. There are many tales of pirates having buried treasures on the surrounding Islands and the mainland at Tierra Oscura.  To this day no treasure has been found or at least reported to have been found.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Indian tribes were decimated by tribal warfare, European diseases, and the Spanish sword. The Dorasque Indians were wiped out completely. The French Hugouenots settled a small community near the coast in search of religious freedoms. Between this colony, the incursion of pirates and early English traders trading in Mahogany, turtles, coconuts and sarsaparilla the beginning of today’s rich international mix of cultures had its start.

In the early 19th century slaves were brought over by English traders and wealthy landowners looking to regain their stature with a fresh start in Bocas running bananna plantations. When slavery was abolished in 1850 many slaves stayed to become farmers and fishermen and traders.

Bocas del Toro history – Banana industry :

Bocas Banana industry dates back to 1890 with the arrival of three American Brothers and various German planters. The three Brothers founded the Snyder Brothers banana Company. They planted bananas at the mouth of Isla Colon along the shore of Chiriqui Lagoon. In 1899 the United Fruit Company bought out the Snyder Brothers and relocated their headquarters to Bocas Town. United Fruit built bridges, roads and even a 9mile/15km canal to connect the mainland to Changuinola to carry bananas to sea for loading for international transport. The company even built schools, homes, restaurants and clinics for its workers. French speaking canal workers from Martinique and Guadalupe as well as West Indian railroad workers from Jamaica, Barbados, and Antigua moved to Bocas to work on the Banana plantations.  1902 brought the thousand days war a Columbian war fought mostly throughout panama. In 1904 fires destroyed 160 main buildings in Bocas Town. A Banana fungus, later called Panama Disease, wiped out many of the plantations between 1914 and 1934.  A border dispute including Almirante occurred with Costa Rica. These were tough times for  Bocas. The boom town declined dramatically and United fruit moved to the mainland and even the hospital closed its doors.

Bocas del Toro history – today

United Fruit was bought, sold and renamed several times and is known today as the famous Chiquita Brand International. Chiquita is the provinces largest employer shipping three quarters of a million tons of bananas annually 33% of the world’s supply.

For most of the 20th century Bocas remained a backwater province in Panama. Today Bocas is experiencing its second boom. An explosion of new settlers from the U.S. and Europe have been adding new infrastructure to Bocas, hotels, resorts, and restaurants. Foreigners are flocking in droves to experience the beauty and diverse cultures found in Bocas. Land speculating and expatriate developments are the new cash crop.