Masa , the Possum Island , seat of the third Paya shrine ?

The enigmatic history of the Paya on the Bay Islands leaves us in many ways with more questions than answers despite having been the subject of a dozen archaeological expeditions during the 20th century and a couple in the 2000’s. There are remains and sites scattered all over the three islands but personally I am […]

Partido Time

A St. Helene couple dance political candidates for the National Party look on from their campaign posters ( photo credit Tom Leopold ), Bay Islands History, Bay Islands Politics, Bay Islands culture

When I first came to live on Roatan in the mid 80’s national politics was considered by Bay Islanders in much the same way a football game was , Blue ( National Party –Partido nacional ) versus Red ( Liberal Party – Partido Liberal ) ……….” So and So is a big blue ( or a big red […]

Churchill , Guinness , Helene and Geckos …….degrees of separation

Lord Moyne and Winston Churchill on MY Rosaura in 1934 ( 5 years before the start of World War II ) when Churchill was merely the MP for Epping and Guinness in the House of Lords. Roatan Bay Islands History

This article is not about  ‘Mike’ Mitchell-Hedges but he always seems to makes it to the beginning of any story about contemporary Anglo-Bay Islands history. Probably because this enigmatic adventurer brought excitement to any venture he was a part of. Nobody knew the real Mitchell-Hedges nor could anyone vouch for the veracity of his tales […]

Freediver History

Lobster diver with spear, M J Harper's Author's Blog, Bay Islands History, Roatan culture

The Bay Islands popularly ( mistakenly )are associated with Roatan , Utila and Guanaja ; I say mistakenly because the Wyke – Cruz treaty ( 1859 )refers to the “the Islands of Ruatan , Guanaca , Elena , Utile , Barbarete and Morat “. The remotest and indeed the most isolated of these is Elena […]

The Honduranization of the Bay Islands

Aerial image of part of the Bay Islands, Honduranization of the Bay Islands, M J Harper's Author's Blog, Roatan Culture, Roatan History, Roatan Politics

As Bay Islanders this past 22nd of April , we recently ‘observed’ ( since it would be inaccurate to say ‘celebrated’)the 162nd anniversary of Queen Victorias official ceding of the Colony of the Bay Islands to the Republic of Honduras. The word in Spanish that the Government uses for this anniversary is the devolucion which suggest that the Islands […]

Black Jesus

Black statue of Jesus on a golden cross

I had written down all the numbers for my meager budget for the trip in a spiral bound notebook ( the Escudo Nacional on the front cover,times table on the back )which I had bought for 50centavos at Leonela Bowman’s store . I only had 100lempiras to my name . I needed at least 200 and so […]

Every picture a story

Candid picture of Roatan’s power control room, New Year's Eve 2012. Three Men at their desks working hard, one passing by. Roatan picture personal story by M J Harper

I stumbled across this poor quality photograph a few days ago which I took with my Blackberry    ( remember them ?) phone on New Years eve 2012. It was the control room , the nerve centre of power generation for the whole Island. There are three men sitting around the table. One ( white shirt […]

Bay Islands History ‘thumbnail’……..

A Spanish map copying Royal Geographer , Thomas Jeffrey’s map of 1743 of Rattan using the same ( mispelled ) place names . The map description gloats over the victory of Field Marshall Matias Galvez’s ( Governor of Guatemala ) victory over Colonel Dalrymple’s meager force during the Battle of Port Royal on the 16th March , 1782, Bay Islands History, Roatan History

 I was recently asked by my chum and fellow scribbler to write him a brief history of the Bay Islands as a foreward to his new book ‘Life On Roatan’ ( LifeOnRoatan.com ) and he thought it came out quite well . I enjoyed writing it anyway !  Reading about History can be tiresome and end up […]

Coxen’s Hole or Port MacDonald ?

Colonel Alexander MacDonald and his contingent outside the Spanish commandants office in Port Royal ( likely Fort Augusta ) after having lowered the Central American flag and raised the Union Jack in August 1838. Roatan Bay Islands History. Coxen Hole Roatan

I am currently having a crack at writing a book about the History of Roatan , Helene and Barbarat . After all , ever since living here for some 35 years the history ( especially the British part of it )has intrigued me. There is so little known about it or documented anywhere locally for […]

Horatio Nelson in Rattan

Historical portrait of Horatio Nelson, M J Harper's Author's Blog, Bay Islands History

It is a little known fact in these parts that the illustrious naval career of that hero of Albion , First Viscount Admiral Horatio Nelson , whose statue sits above a 170ft high column in central London is inextricably linked to the Bay of Honduras ( Belize Cays and Rattan ) and the Mosquito Shore. […]