Mona, Puerto Rico
"Mona Island" redirects here. Mona Island is also an ancient name of Anglesey. |
Mona Island as seen from offshore. |
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Location of the island of Mona within the archipelago of Puerto Rico. |
Mona (
Isla de Mona, in
Spanish) is an
island of the
archipelago of
Puerto Rico located in the
Mona Passage, a strait between the
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Mona has an area of 40 km
2 and is located 80 km away from the main island of Puerto Rico. It is uninhabited and has been designated an ecological preserve by the island's government. The island is a
barrio of the municipality of
Mayagüez, together with
Monito Island 5 km northwest, and
Desecheo Island, 40 km to the northeast. The total land area of all islands in the barrio is about 56.93 km² [
1] and it comprises 28.3 percent of the total land area of the municipality of Mayagüez.
The island is mainly flat and is composed of
dolomite and
limestone with many
caves found throughout. With an arid
climate and untouched by human development, many
endemic species inhabit the island, such as the
Mona Ground Iguana. In the past, the island once had the presence of a small
guano mining center.[
2]It's topography and ecology is similar to that of
Navassa Island, a small limestone island located in the
Jamaica Channel, between
Jamaica and
Haiti, and claimed by the
United States (although this claim is disputed by Haiti, who also claims the island).
Mona Island is believed to have been originally settled by
Arawak Indians that arrived from
Hispaniola (now the present day nations
Haiti and the Dominican Republic). An
archeological excavation during the 1980s discovered many Pre-Colombian objects on the island that helped support their theories of the island's first inhabitants. Later the island was settled by the much more docile
Tainos and remained so until it was first sighted by
Christopher Columbus in 1493 during his second voyage to the
New World.
Discovery and early history
On
November 19,
1493, Columbus stumbles upon the island of Puerto Rico, which the natives call
Borinquen (or
Boriken according to some historians), but he baptizes it
San Juan Bautista (or
Saint John the Baptist). It was within hours after setting foot in what is now today
Guanica, Puerto Rico that Columbus and his ships head west in order to reach Hispaniola, where he expected to meet several crewmembers who remained behind from his first voyage. As he left Puerto Rico, the island the Taínos called
Ámona (for which the name
Mona is derived from), a name that was bestowed by the natives in honor of the ruling
Cacique or chief of the island.
In 1502, Fray
Nicolas de Ovando was sent to
Isla Mona to keep an eye, from within a safe distance, of the native revolts occuring in Hispaniola. With a group of 2,000
Spanish settlers, Ovando was left in charge of creating a permanent settlement on the island per the request of the Spanish Crown. Due to its small size and location, the island proved to be too small to accommodate such a large settlement, and therefore food became scarce as shipments from the Hispaniola and Puerto Rico were received infrequently.
Puerto Rico's first appointed governor
Vicente Yañez Pinzón,
[ was appointed as the first governor of Puerto Rico, but he never arrived to the island]. Due to his inability to serve as governor,
Juan Ponce de Leon who accompanied Columbus on his first two voyages, later was appointed and later became the first ruling governor of the colony. In 1508, de Leon made several visits to Mona Island to gather goods and food from the Tainos residing there. The island which had an abundant supply of food and other products commonly used by the Tainos both on Mona Island and Puerto Rico, was considered to be a valuable possession to personally have. In 1509, he became interested in possession of the island. This caused a bitter rivalry between him and King
Ferdinand II of Aragon. By then, Isla Mona was an important point of trade between Spain and the rest of
Latin America, as well as a rest stop for boat crews carrying
slaves.
In 1514, Ferdinand II wanted Mona Island to become his private vacation retreat. After some wrangling, in 1515 he was able to reclaim the island from
Diego Colon. With his possession of the island King Ferdinand II gave the Tainos residing on the island two options if they wished to continue living on the island: (1) they could either work by
fishing, making
hammocks and cultivating
plants, or (2) they could become miners and help in the mining of
guano and other minerals. Realizing that mining would require intense labor, the majority of inhabitants chose to work as fishermen and farmers. By accepting this option, they also were exempted from paying imposed
taxes, and were able to avoid the hard labor many other natives endured in mines. With time, natives from other neighboring islands were brought to Mona Island to assist with labor.
When he died in 1516, Ferdinand II passed ownership of the island to
Cardenal Cisneros. Yet again the island changed ownershipo when in 1520,
Francisco de Barrionuevo became the island's new landlord. By 1524,
Alonso Manso,
bishop of Puerto Rico, had become interest in gaining personal wealth, and he accused Barrionuevo, among others, of various
criminal charges before the Spanish
justice system of the time. Because of this situation, Barrionuevo self exiled himself to one of Spain's colonies in
South America, taking many Tainos along with him, and leaving the island practically deserted.
By 1522, ships from other major sea powers such as
England, France, and the
Netherlands began to arrive at Isla Mona to replenish supplies for their
transatlantic voyages. The island also provided them and
pirates with a refuge where they could attack and plunder Spanish galleons.
In 1561, during an audience held in
Santo Domingo, where it was recommended that Isla Mona become a part of that colony (which at the times occupied the eastern half of Hispaniola). Their reasons were simply that the island is far much closer to Santo Domingo (presently the
Dominican Republic) than it is to Puerto Rico, and it had a small population which could help the former colony's economy in overall agricultural production. However, their petition was turned down and the island continued to remain politically part of Puerto Rico.
In 1583, the Spanish archbishop of Puerto Rico received royal permission to bring
Christianity to Mona Island. However, by the 1600s, most Tainos remaining on the island had either died or fled to mainland Puerto Rico.
20th Century
With the 1898
Treaty of Paris, Isla Mona as well as the rest of Puerto Rico were handed by Spain to the
United States. Within a two years of occupation, the
Mona Island Lighthouse began operations. The lighthouse was designed by famous French engineer
Gustave Eiffel (who also designed the world famous
Eiffel Tower in
Paris). It remained in continuous operations until was decomissioned in
1976 after being replaced by a newer modern structure.
On
December 22 1919 the island was declared an
Insular Forest of Puerto Rico, under the auspices of the U.S. Forest Law #22. From 1945 to 1955 Mona Island was leased to the
US Air Force as a military exercise area. Since 1941 the island has also been utilized for hunting and for camping. In order to monitor the island, since 1960 the island has a small ranger post that is operated by the
Puerto Rico Deparment Of Natural Resources.
In recent years, the island has become a major drop-off point for many Dominicans,
Cubans,
Chinese,
Filipinos and even
North Koreans trying to reach Puerto Rico illegally. As a U.S.
Commonwealth, Puerto Rico is a seen by many illegal migrants as stepping stone to the United States. With the exceptions of Cubans whom are allowed to stay permantely in the United States due to that country's
wet feet/dry feet policy all other illegal immigrants are usually deported immediately.
Mona Island Today
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Buildings on Playa Pájaros on the south coast |
The island presently serves as a retreat for many Puerto Ricans and nature enthuasists from all around the world. Due to its unique topography, ecology, and location the island, along with Desecheo Island and Monito Island have been given the nickname
The Galapagos Islands of The Caribbean. Scientists, ecologists, and students have visited the island to explore its distinct ecosystem. The island is also home to many cave drawings that were left behind by the island's original inhabitants.
An
FAA-certified
airport that can handle small aircraft was built by the Puerto Rican government. The
United States Coast Guard is able to provide transportation with helicopter flights from
Eugenio Maria de Hostos Airport in Mayaguez, to help with medicines and first aid equipment; they also fly whenever an emergency requiring
hospitalization occurs. Private and commercial planes require a special permit issued by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources to use the airport's facilities.
The most common form of transportation are private yachts, however commercial excursions are available from
Cabo Rojo for small groups of up to twelve people traveling together.
Hunting is permitted once a year in order to control the population growth of non-endemic species (goats, pigs and wild cats) because they can represent a threat to various endangered species. Hunting season usually commences in December and ends in April. Camping is allowed from May through November. In modern times, the island has become a popular retreat for Puerto Rican
Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts.
Modern tragedies
Many modern tragedies involving travelers, both legal and illegal, have happened in or close to Isla Mona. Here is a partial list of some of the most famous modern tragedies there:
*In 1989, a ship carrying more than 300 illegal Dominican immigrants sank near Isla Mona. After surveying the area, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that there were no survivors.
*In 2002, a
teenager was lost during a
Boy Scout expedition on the island. His body was found a few days later. It was determined that he died of severe
dehydration.
*In January, 2004, a
psychologist became disoriented and found himself lost during a sightseeing trip to the southern part of the island. His body was recovered several days later. Dehydration also played a role in his demise.
*
Article on Cuban refugees arriving on Mona Island
