Background and History

The island of Roatán is 53 km long and 5 km wide. It is located 65 km off the northern coast of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea. Its 127 km² make Roatán the largest of the 68 islands and cays which make up the Bay Islands. Although it is part of Honduras, it has a unique history and culture.

History and People

The original inhabitants on the island of Roatán were the Payas, a tribe of Amerindians. No Payans remain; however, because in 1641 the Spanish Governor of Honduras ordered the Bay Islands depopulated so that they could no longer serve as an outpost for British pirates. The first permanent settlers to the island came from the island of St. Vincent. They were Black Caribs who were forcibly taken to Roatán following an unsuccessful mutiny against their British slave-owners. They settled in the town of Punta Gorda where their descendants remained and became known as the Garifuna. The next wave of immigrants were black freedmen and white farmers from the Caymans who moved to Roatán in the 1830s. These groups came to be known as the Islanders. The island was a British colony until the Wykes-Cruz Treaty of 1859 returned sovereignty to Honduras. Over 300 Islanders left the island once it became clear that Honduras would take control of the island. Bitter feelings have existed for centuries between the islanders and coastal people, fueled by the history of British-Spanish conflict, the difference in language, and the lack of communication between the two groups (Davidson, 1972).

Roatán remained largely free of Honduran influence until the 1980’s. Early attempts to bring the Bay Islands under mainland influence included abolishing English as a language taught in schools and shifting the economy so that it complemented the Honduran economy instead of competing with it for the sale of fruit (Davidson, 1972). However, these actions had little significant effect on the island culture. In 1970, only 7% of the island’s residents were Latino. This number had risen to 16% by 1988, and is estimated to be greater than 50% today. This recent influx of Latinos to the islands has brought many changes to the face of the island. The culture is also changing with the "hispanisation" of the island. Today 84% of the Islanders speak both Spanish and English while only 50% of their parents did. In fact, 89% of all residents on the island today speak Spanish, while only 66% speak English.

The final group of immigrants to come to the island of Roatán is the ex-patriots. When Honduras allowed the sale of land to non-Honduran citizens in the early 1990’s, a wave of immigrants from the Untied States and Europe came to the island. These semi-permanent and permanent immigrants have been accompanied by tremendous numbers of tourists from these Western countries. An estimated 900 tourists visited The Bay Islands in 1995. With a new airport offering non-stop jet service to Houston, Miami, and New Orleans, over 30,000 visited in 1993 (Stonich, 1995).

It is estimated that the current population of Roatán is approximately 23,000. The actual number is likely to be much higher since this estimate was based on a census of the island conducted in 1988. Three main urban areas exist on the island, Coxen Hole, French Harbor, and Oak Ridge. In addition, the towns of Los Fuertes and Sandy Bay have grown recently and each now has greater than 1000 residents.

Social and Economic Indicators

In light of the history of the island of Roatán, it is not surprising that the social and economic situation on the island differs somewhat from the rest of Honduras. While the per capita GDP for Honduras in 1995 was estimated to be $580 in Unites States 1994 dollars, the median weekly income for male Islanders was $55 and 27% earned more than $100 US per week (Stonich, 1995). This equates to a median annual income of $2860 with 27% earning $5200 or more. The economy is based primarily on fishing and tourism; although fruit production has been significant in the past. Literacy rates are higher on the island than on the mainland with 97% of Islander women and 87% of Islander men reporting that they can read (Stonich, 1995) compared to 73% and 75% on the mainland (PAHO, 1996). The overall literacy rate on the island is closer to that of Honduras as a whole because the recent Latino migrants have literacy rates similar to those on the mainland. In fact the average number of years of schooling differs significantly between Islanders and Latinos in Roatán (Stonich, 1995).