Early Discovery
While the official 'discovery' of the Galapagos Islands is recognized to be the Spanish, many believe it was the Incas who first found this extraordinary chain of islands in the 15th Century. Due to their lack of a written language, no documentation proves this and we are left with ship logs and records of Spain's impressive shipping route developed I the 16th century.
The Spanish found a lucrative venture in South America, shipping Incan gold back to their motherland. Their route led them via ship to Panama where the gold was then loaded onto mules and packed across the isthmus. Ships waiting on the Atlantic side would collect the gold and carry the precious cargo back to Spain. During a routine trip to Peru, Bishop of Panama, Tom S de Berlanga's ship was carried off course by the strong currents. These currents brought him to the Galapagos archipelago which he described in his letter to the King of Spain: "I do not think this is a place where one might sow a bushel of corn because most of it is full of very big stones and the earth is much like dross, worthless, because it has not the power of raising a little grass".
As the quote suggests, the men aboard thought little of this virtually waterless land. The islands remained nameless as Bishop Berlanga and his crew continued on their journey. The name "Galapagos Islands" was not charted until 1574. Its origin comes from the Old Spanish word, galapago. Glapago means 'saddle' and was used to describe the giant tortoises whose shells reminded sailors of the classic Spanish saddles.
Buccaneers & Pirates
Pirates and buccaneers took hold of South America's west coast in the 16th and 17th century, raiding Spanish ships setting off to deliver the Incan gold to Spain, keeping the riches for themselves or sharing with their country.
The remote Galapagos archipelago was the perfect location to hide and set out from to catch the Spaniards by surprise. It provided a safe haven and place to refuel with tortoise meat and fresh water (as they knew where to look). They spent most of their time between the islands of Floreana, Santa Cruz and Santiago, due to their location and resources. The popularity of James Bay on Santiago brought about its commonly used name, Buccaneer's Cove in honor of its first inhabitants. The men left goats behind when they abandoned the island and their descendents can be seen today amongst the feral goats roaming the islands.
The first navigation chart of the archipelago was drawn up by William Ambrose Crowley, a well-known buccaneer. Proud of his heritage, he gave many of the islands names of British military and Royalty.
The Whalers
Spain began to lose control of Latin America in the 19th Century. Independent trade increased significantly between South American countries and England and France. With fewer ships to raid, the Pirate life began to dwindle. With the industrial revolution in full swing, Spanish gold became a treasure of the past and oil became liquid gold. Buccaneers and ships across oceans sought out this treasure in the form of whale blubber.
The Galapagos Islands were a popular resting place for the giant whales making their journey with the currents each year. The islands of Fernandina and Isabela provided ideal feeding and hiding grounds. The Brits discovered this secret in the early 1790’s and began exploiting the former haven.
The word soon got out and by 1811, ships from countries worldwide flocked to this prime whaling location. Over the next 30 years an estimated 700 whaling ships visited the archipelago. Their main source of nutrition came from tortoises, of which they would collect upwards of 600 per ship during their tour. 15,000 or more tortoises were eradicated from Floreana alone, leading to the extinction of the island’s subspecies. Santa Fe and Rabida experienced similar fates. An estimated 200,000 tortoises lost their lives as a result of this human invasion. On top of this destruction, the whalers also brought a variety of domestic, foreign animals such as cattle, goats, cats, dogs, donkeys, and black rats all of which caused further damage to the ecosystems of the islands. The animals’ ancestors continued to wreak havoc long after the sailors abandoned the islands for good, having decimated the whale population by 1835.
Herman Melville, a well-known name among the whaling community as well as the literary one, wrote Les Encantadas, after visiting the islands. Petroleum, accessible on a commercial scale, was discovered in 1859. This cheaper form of oil led to a rapid decline in commercial whaling, although it is still a documented issue around the word to this day.
Darwin 's Visit
The HMS Beagle landed on the Galapagos Islands in 1835, bringing the infamous Darwin to study the flora and fauna of this remote archipelago for 5 weeks. One of his better-known observations discussed the finch varieties from island to island; today they are named Darwin’s Finches. 13 different species of finches live throughout the archipelago and Darwin determined that each species had developed as a result of adapting to their habitat in order to survive.
After the visit, Darwin produced his theory that flora and fauna develop and change over time and are all a part of the process of natural selection. 20 more years were dedicated to collecting evidence to support this theory and in 1859 he published the well-known title, The Origin of Species. The Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park were formed to commemorate and honor Darwin on the 100th anniversary, in 1959, of this book’s publishing. Soon after this, the Charles Darwin Research station was created. It had a research ship named The Beagle, which provided a living and moving lab for researchers to continue studying Darwin’s Theory of evolution. Today the station’s goal is to educate the world on Darwin’s theories and share the wonders of these islands while protecting their fragility. As an Ecuadorian National Park, all activity is regulated, permits must be issued, and all landing sites and itineraries must be approved. The Darwin Station provides training for all naturalist guides working on the islands.
Early Colonists
With the rise of whaling, the first humans made permanent residence on the islands. Patrick Watkins, an Irishman marooned on Floreana in 1807 is documented as the very first. Over the following eight years, he planted a garden and sold his fresh vegetable to the whaling ships surrounding the archipelago. In 1815 he stole a ship and made his way back to the mainland. Landing in Guayaquil, all the crew had died and he was the only person to disembark the ship alive.
The colony of Progresso developed in 1869 on the island of San Cristobal, led by Manuel Cobos. He was not considered a progressive though and his tyrannical behavior resulted in his murder a few years after the colony’s establishment. The colony continued to thrive and the government continues to be held there today. The colonies of Villamil and Santo Thomas were established by Don Antonio Gil on the island of Isabela, in 1983. Villamil rests on the southeastern coast of the island and continues to be the main port on the island. The settlers also collected coral, which they burned to produce lime. Santo Tomas is inland on slopes of the volcano, Sierra Negra near the fumeroles from which the inhabitants minded sulfur. Cattle ranching and fishing were also popular trades of the time.
William Beebe published Galapagos: World’s End in 1924, describing his findings during his scientific exploration. The positive light shed on the islands by this book, through its colorful descriptions and illustrations, brought new visitors and inhabitants, in search of Utopia. It also brought about the first signs of eco-tourism, which are now integral in today’s Galapagos economy. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the islands first tourists in 1938, but the business of tourism did not really pick up for decades to come.
The 20th century brought visitors and settlements, but these lacked real permanence for the most part. Annexed by Ecuador in 1832 the Galapagos was renamed “Archipielago del Ecuador.” Rumors spread worldwide of these exquisite islands and travelers made their way to this remote area in search of a dream. In 1925, 22 Norwegians landed on Floreana, sure they would make a fortune fishing off its coast. As the ‘tourists’ arrived, those who had promoted the islands dispersed and it soon became clear that Floreana was far from paradise. While most survived, it was no easy feat. After a few years, some returned to Norway, others sought out a better island such as San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. A cannery had been established by other Norwegians on Academy Bay on Santa Cruz and provided a better living for the fishermen. It only took another few years before most of these settles abandoned the islands as well. Over the years European settles arrived in search of a life of simplicity, including the Angermeyer brothers who arrived from Germany to Santa Cruz in 1935. Descendents of theirs continue to live on Santa Cruz to this day.
Dr Friedrich Ritter, an eccentric man from Germany and his mistress, Dore Strauch, established a small farm on Floreana. The found life on the island to be blissful, with each other as company and visitors from the frequent ships passing by. They explored new lifestyles such as nudism as well as differing diets and medicines. Soon, another German family, the Wittmers, settled on the island and continue to live their today. The Austrian Baroness Wagner de Bosquet brought her three male lovers to settle on the island as well. The small population did not stay blissful for long, and the hostility grew with the unsolved disappearance of the Baroness and one of her lovers. Soon after, a second lover was found dead and then the doctor was poisoned. The “Floreana Mystery” continues to be a hot topic today and can be read about in a number of books. Frau Wittmer wrote a book called Floreana detailing her personal account of the events that took place throughout her 65 years of life on the island.
With the commencement of WWII, US forces became present on the islands. The airbase on Baltra was built by them as deterrence of the Japanese and protection of the Panama Canal. When the war ended, control of the base was handed over to the Ecuadorian government. It now provides land strips to incoming planes and is the more frequented of the islands’ two airports.
