The People and Heritage of Providence and Santa Catalina Islands

USC Archaeology student Luis Rodriguez-Perez shares his experiences interviewing Providencians as part of his field school research with Dr. Tracie Mayfield. Dr. Mayfield’s Project, the Providence Island Archaeological Project, is offered as a field school for undergraduates, graduate students, and volunteers through IFR. More information on the project can be found here.

The islands of Providence and Santa Catalina sit hundreds of miles off the coasts of Nicaragua and Panama, and thousands more miles from their governing country of Colombia. Connected by a single pontoon causeway, the islands are isolated sisters in a sea of endless blue. And yet, they are as connected to the world and other cultures as any other country on the mainland.

Location of Providence Island

Arriving to the island is like arriving at a movie set. A photo could never emulate the overwhelming natural beauty that the island possesses. Locals say that the surrounding waters are “7 colors”—all shades of blue—from blindly bright and crystal clear, to deep and mysterious darker hues. The island of Providence is connected by one road running along its coast, reminiscent of US-1, with tall green cliffs on one side and a spectrum of blue waters on the other. Cliff drops and mountains sprout from the middle of the island, separating neighborhoods into the islands’ shorelines.

The bridge connecting Providence and Santa Catalina Island

View of the island from one of its many peaks

The population of Providence and Santa Catalina Islands is approximately 5000 people, many of whom have lived on the island for generations. Families often tie their heritage to their last names—Archbold, Livingston, Britton, Newball, and Howard— All of them are able to trace their lineage to their original island settlers, they are keenly aware of their family histories, and relentlessly proud of their culture. While Spanish remains the official language of the islands (due to their ties to Colombia), Providencians speak a distinct dialect of English creole, as well as standard English. These multilingual, intelligent people also often carry a big heart:
Since the planning stages in 2018, Dr. Tracie Mayfield and I discussed wanting to document some of the oral histories and traditions of the islanders. We were very lucky to meet Oral Chamorro Britton; claiming he only slept 3 hours a night, Oral worked at the posada (hotel) where we stayed. Every morning he served us breakfast at 7am, worked the entire day, and would still be working late into the night. He was a mysterious and quiet man, but when he heard about our intentions to film a documentary, he immediately wanted to get involved. He took time out of his day to take us around the island and introduced us to other locals. Oral was not only an exemplary Providencian: kind and hospitable, but played a key role in teaching us the ins and outs of the island.

Jen Hasso and Oral Chamorro Britton. Without his help our ethnography project would have been impossible.

Thanks to Oral’s invaluable help, we met with different families on all sides of the island that told us about the island’s rich history. Founded by English Puritans, the island was originally a colony similar to the Massachusetts’ Bay colony. This Puritan settlement would be caught in hundreds of years of disputes between the English, the Spanish, as well as pirates. At one point, Henry Morgan laid siege to the island, giving his name to many island landmarks like Morgan’s Head.

Morgan’s Head

Throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th, the island was made up of agricultural plantations under the Colombian government. We saw the bountiful mango and Spanish lime trees that were a testament to the island’s past as one of the main sources of fruit for generations of ship captains, cargo ship sailors, and farmers in the Caribbean. Although a mere 50 years ago Providence didn’t have roads or electricity, people thrived on the island, utilizing horses and boats and living off the fertile soil and taking advantage of the resource-rich ocean.

Jen Hasso, Rachel Bingham, and I meet with James Henry

Jen Hasso, Sean Boehme, and I meeting with the Britton family, Artimas Britton (Middle) specialized in helping injured climbers when he was younger

As the residents of Providence and Santa Catalina Islands told us their stories, they welcomed us into their homes, gave us food, and treated us like family. They opened up their worlds and their hearts to us because we were curious. One such person was Anita Henry, a fisherwoman living in Bottom House near Manzanillo Beach. Well in her 60s, this strong, vibrant woman could outfish any man on the island without breaking a sweat. As she ate candied prunes out of the end of a buck knife, she told us her fishing stories and how she would take her grandchildren out at night to catch masses of fish. She was wise beyond her years, and endearingly shared life advice such as: “What man can get but can’t spoil, can’t rotten? Education.” I couldn’t agree more, and it served as a reminder of some of the things that tied us together with people living thousands of miles away.