Útila

Útila Island
Elevation:	74 m (243 ft)
Coordinates:	16°06′N 86°56′W
Location:	Bay Islands, Honduras
Type:	Pyroclastic cones
Last eruption:	Unknown

Utila (Isla de Utila)[1] is the third largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world. The eastern end of the island is capped by a thin veneer of basaltic volcanic rocks, erupted from several pyroclastic cones including 74 m (243 ft) Pumpkin Hill which forms the highest point on the island. It has been documented in history since Columbus' fourth voyage, and currently enjoys growing tourism with emphasis on recreational diving.

History

Archeological, historical and ethnographic evidence of the Bay Islands indicates that they were inhabited well before the Europeans arrived, as long ago as 600AD by a pre-Columbian culture known as the Paya. The Paya may have entered Central America in the great North to South America migration in 5,000 BC, although to the contrary, linguistic studies indicate that the Paya may have been descendants of South American tribes.Christopher Columbus, on his fourth voyage to the new world, landed on the island of Guanaja on July 30, 1502, after encountering a small fleet of dugout canoes destined from the mainland to the Bay Islands. These vessels were filled with cotton cloth, maize, cacao, beans, copper goods and wooden swords with sharp flint edges, and on this meeting one dugout canoe carrying 25 men, women and children was captured. On land, Columbus encountered a fairly large population of Paya whom he believed to be cannibals.^{[citation needed]} In 1516, licenced slavers were sent to the Islands under the authority of Diego Velasquez and captured 300, killing others who put up resistance. The slaving vessel returned to Havana harbour, Santiago de Cuba, where it was taken over by the Paya who demanded repatriation. On hearing that the Paya had been repatriated, Velasquez commissioned two ships back which then captured 400 Paya on Utila and on one of the other islands, and during this raid 100 Paya were reported to have been killed. After their capture, this and future shipments of Paya slaves were forced to work in mines, farm sugar cane plantations and tend livestock on Santiago de Cuba, and were also sent to work in the gold and silver mines of Mexico.

Later on, English, French, and Dutch pirates established settlements on the islands and raided the Spanish cargo vessels laden with gold and other treasures from the New World. The Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan established his base at Port Royal on Roatán, about 30 kilometers from Útila, in the mid-17th century; at that time as many as 5,000 pirates were living on that island.^{[citation needed]}

Colonization by the Spanish began in the early 16th century. Over the next century, the Spanish plundered the island for its slave trade and eliminated the island of its natives by the early 17th century. Britain, in its aggressive attempt to out-colonize the Spanish in the Caribbean, occupied the Bay Islands on and off between 1550 and 1700. During this time, the buccaneers found the vacated, mostly unprotected islands a haven for safe harbor and transport. Útila is rich in pirate lore, and even presently, scuba divers look for sunken treasure from Captain Morgan's lost booty from his raid on Panama in 1671.

The British were forced to give the Bay Islands to the Honduran government in the mid 19th century. It was at this time that the nearly uninhabited islands were being populated by its now Caymanian roots. They remain rich in Caymanian culture and dialect.

Utila has been a part of Honduras for approximately 150 years. For nearly 200 years Spanish conquistadores and British pirates battled for control of these islands, ignoring the native people for the most part. During this period, the Islands were used for food and wood supplies, safe harbor, and slave trading. Remains of British forts and towns named after famous pirates remain as their legacy. One group of slaves was "parked" here during this time during the heat of a battle. When the winners came to collect them, the slaves refused to go.^{[citation needed]} These are the Garifunas who still populate much of the Bay Islands, maintaining their own cultural identity and language. Punta Gorda on Roatán is one of many villages where they live.

Tourism

"Big Rock Beach"

The Bay Islands have faced many major changes in recent years. Fishing has always been the mainstay of this former British Colony, but tourism is seen as the future. Environmental changes and an increased population on the islands has caused a decrease in fish stocks and now sustenance fishing is in conflict with the Bay Islands' number one tourist draw, diving.^{[citation needed]} This has caused many problems between the fishermen and dive conservation and ecological groups, as areas that were once prime fishing grounds are now marine reserves.

Utila is now starting to undergo the same commercialization that neighbour island Roatán experienced in the mid to late 1990s.^{[citation needed]} With favourable diving conditions, the island increasingly attracts general tourists, along with more traditional international backpacker visitors. More than sixty diving sites are located around the island among its extensive reefs teeming with marine life, including the elusive whale shark.

Unique local cuisine includes white bread made with coconut milk, mango jam, conch meat, and crab. Interestingly, grated coconut, such as is used to decorate pastries in many countries is considered not fit for human consumption and fed to chickens and hogs.^{[citation needed]}

On the 29th of November, 2006 The National Congress signed the Zona Libre Touristica del Departamanto de las Islas de la Bahia (ZOLITUR) law declaring the Bay Islands a Tax Free Zone.^{[citation needed]} The spirit of this law is to promote the touristic development on the Bay Islands and to create an environmentally sustainable socioeconomic framework for the future.^{[citation needed]} With the creation of the Tax Free Zone, Islanders will have a greater chance of making a successful transition to the Bay Islands Future by removing tax barriers and creating a business environment that will promote national and foreign tourism and investment. The Municipalities will benefit through the collection of entry fees. Each visitor to The Islands will now pay a fee to enter. Foreigners (Americans) will pay a fee of US$6 if arriving by air, US$2 if arriving by sea, and Hondurans (read: any Hispanic person, regardless of nationality) will pay US$1. These fees, combined with the 2% property certification fee already in effect, will provide the Municipality the finances needed to improve the quality of education and life of the Bay Islanders. The island also collects a $3 dive fee that goes to the municipality and BICA to aid in conservation programs and medical help for divers. A 4% capital gains tax on the profits made from any immovable assets is also collected by the municipalities.

Utila is also home to the yearly party known as Sunjam. Sunjam has a set date every year, the first Saturday in August. 2011 will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the party. Party-goers from around the world descend on Utila the week before in the build up to the big party which is held on a private island off the coast of Utila. The top DJs in Central America are joined by headliners from around the world to bring a unique party experience to those attending, exemplified by the motto "Pure Party Pleasure".

Image gallery

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  Hawksbill turtle at the "Black Hills" dive site

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  A glass grotto at the Unique Jade Seahorse Restaurant

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  The ever calm waters at the public beach

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  The outhouse over the water stands on the bay.

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  Typical road near the Munchies Restaurant, a historic building

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  Typical traffic jam, there is only a handful of old pickup trucks on the entire island

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  The main beach

See also

• List of volcanoes in Honduras

References

• "Utila Island". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1403-16-.