Galapagos history and first settlers in the islands

Most of us know that the Galapagos Islands are a natural paradise located 1000 km off the coast of Ecuador. However, what about human history and the first settlers of the Galapagos Islands? Continue reading this short article and find out.

The arrival of the Incas to the Galapagos Islands

To be sure, the hypothesis of the arrival of the Incas to the Galapagos Islands has not been completely proven. Nonetheless, several historians do not disprove it either. There is a theory that a group of Inca navigators sailed from the coast of the current province of Manabi (Ecuador) in 1480, searching for new lands to conquer.

The leader of the Inca Empire at that time, Tupac Yupanqui led the expedition. History says that they reached two islands that were part of the Galapagos archipelago, which they named “Ninca Chumpi” (island of fire) currently Isabela Island and “Hahua Chumpi” (outer island) currently San Cristobal Island.

Do you think the Incas were the first human inhabitants of the Galapagos at that time?

The official discovery of the Galapagos Islands

As mentioned above, some historians and scholars believe the Incas were the ones who would have arrived in the Galapagos Islands before anyone else. However, history recognizes as “the official discovery of the Galapagos Islands” the accidental arrival of Dominican Friar Tomas de Berlanga on March 14, 1535, to the islands.

How did this accidental, but great discovery took place?

Now that you know when and who discovered the Galapagos, we will tell you how this happened.

On February 23, 1535, Friar Tomás de Berlanga, who at that time was the Bishop of Panama, embarked for Peru, with the mission of resolving some political issues of the Spanish Crown in that territory.

During his journey from Panama to Peru, on the eighth day, the boat in which he and his companions were traveling, was pushed out to deep waters, leaving them adrift and bewildered as to what might happen. After several days of shipwreck and almost without supplies, they managed to spot some “enchanted islands” that appeared and disappeared in the fog.

Yes! The “Enchanted Islands” were the beautiful Galapagos Islands and were the salvation of the Bishop of Panama and his companions. They certainly would not stay there because those “discovered” islands were far from being a paradise for them.

First settlers of the Galapagos Islands and whalers.

There were several antecedents of human presence in the Galapagos Islands before confirmed settlements. However, from the seventeenth century when the navigator James Colnett described the islands as a place with abundant flora and fauna, the first settlers began to arrive.

For the most part, the first settlers of the Galapagos Islands were British sailors who arrived motivated by the whales, sperm whales, sea lions, and mainly by the giant tortoises that inhabited the islands. However, the discovery of sperm whale blubber and its primary use as lamp fuel also attracted whalers.

Due to the increase in whalers and sailors on the islands, an improvised post office with a barrel to be used as a mailbox. The various ships arriving in the Galapagos brought and left letters, as it was the easiest way to keep in touch with their families.

You might be interested in: The first Galapagos inhabitants. More details here.

Travelers visiting Post Office Bay on Floreana Island, Galapagos.

Today, the mailbox is still in operation, but it is no longer the pirates who bring and leave letters, but the visitors who arrive at “Post Office Bay” on Floreana Island.Believe it or not, many travelers have received their letters a few weeks later after they deposited them in this rustic mailbox. Would you leave a letter there?

If you have reached this point on our blog, you are surely finding it interesting, we invite you to continue reading until the end. Do not miss any details!

Official Annexation of the Galapagos Islands to the Republic of Ecuador

Can you believe that the Galapagos Islands did not belong to any specific territory until 1832? Well, despite the arrival of Spaniards and British to the archipelago, these lands were never officially claimed by either of them.

However, on February 12, 1832, after some expeditions, Ecuador officially annexed the “Archipelago of Colon” to its territory during the government of General Juan Jose Flores, who was the first president of the Republic of Ecuador. Undoubtedly, it was a wise decision that all Ecuadorians celebrate and honor.

Arrival of Charles Darwin aboard the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands

The naturalist Charles Darwin arrived in the Galapagos Islands in 1835 aboard the HMS Beagle. During the five-week trip on the islands, he observed giant tortoises and marine iguanas, mockingbirds, and finches.

The variances between species on different islands sparked the idea that would lead to his slogans on evolution and natural selection, published more than two decades after “The Origin of Species”.

You might be interested in: Why the Galapagos Islands inspired Charles Darwin?. More details here.

To conclude this short article, in which we have made a brief recapitulation of human history and the first settlers of the Galapagos Islands. We would like to thank you for reading it to the end, and we hope you have enjoyed it.

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