History Of the Spanish Virgin Islands

Located east of Puerto Rico, the Spanish Virgin Islands are a lesser-known Caribbean archipelago that includes the beautiful islands of Culebra and Vieques, as well as smaller islets such as Culebrita, Icacos, and Palomino. Interestingly, the Spanish Virgin Islands’ history differs from that of the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands, even though both regions are territories of the United States today.

Pre – 1493: Indigenous Origins

Like other Caribbean islands, the Spanish Virgin Islands were part of a network of indigenous tribes, mainly the Taíno and Caribs, who fished, cultivated food, and traveled by canoe to trade with residents of other islands. Archaeological evidence shows that indigenous groups settled the islands about 1,500 years before Europeans arrived in the Americas.

1493: Spanish Discovery

Christopher Columbus discovered the Spanish Virgin Islands in 1493 on his second voyage to the Americas and claimed them for the Spanish crown. Yet, Spain mostly ignored the islands at this time, preferring to focus on Puerto Rico. This neglect left them uninhabited, ungoverned, and vulnerable to encroachment by rival European powers in the area, especially by Denmark, which claimed the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

18th and 19th Centuries: Sugar Production and Slavery

Vieques eventually developed a sugar plantation economy, owned by Spanish landowners from Puerto Rico, with enslaved Africans providing most of the labor. Culebra, with its less favorable environment for sugarcane cultivation, remained unsettled. Spain abolished slavery in Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Islands in 1873.

1898: Transfer to the United States

Following the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States under the Treaty of Paris. Because the Spanish Virgin Islands were culturally, politically, and economically integrated with Puerto Rico, they were included. Nineteen years later, Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the U.S. in 1917.

1940s – 2003: U.S. Navy Control

Soon after the U.S. acquired the Spanish Virgin Islands, a law was passed allocating $35 million to establish a naval base comprising around two-thirds of Vieques. The base was used as a practice site for artillery and bombing, intensifying during World War II and continuing through the Cold War and until 2003. The U.S. Navy’s presence in the Spanish Virgin Islands displaced residents of Culebra and Vieques and contaminated the environment. Protests eventually forced the Navy to end operations in Culebra in 1975 and in Vieques in 2003.

2003 – Present: Tourism and Ecological Restoration

Tourism is now the leading industry in the Spanish Virgin Islands. Thanks to the unique Spanish Virgin Islands history, they have only been developing as a tourist destination for a little over 20 years, meaning there is little infrastructure and abundant untouched paradise to explore. Unlike overcrowded and commercialized Caribbean destinations, the Spanish Virgin Islands remain a quiet refuge, with protected areas dedicated to rehabilitating and conserving ecosystems. 

Now is the perfect time to charter a sailboat to discover the hidden coves, pristine beaches, and vibrant marine life of the Spanish Virgin Islands at your own pace, or take advanced liveaboard ASA courses in the Spanish Virgin Islands, while these islands remain the best-kept secret in the Caribbean!