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The Island of Roatan |
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The Island of Roatan is located about 40 miles off of the northern coast of mainland Honduras. It is part of a chain known as the Bay Islands. Once a British colony, it became part of Honduras in 1860. Roatan is rimmed by the world’s second largest barrier reef, creating an underwater environment known world-wide by scuba divers. |
| Several different cultures are evident among the 30,000 residents of Roatan, including English, Spanish, Honduran, Payan Indian, Garifuna, and Antillean. Politically, this island is in many ways run separately from mainland Honduras. As on the mainland, missionaries and Americans in general are welcomed by the local government. On the other hand, the older people, especially, are somewhat skeptical of the motives of "gringos" and can sometimes be resentful of the profit-seeking or the sometimes present "we're here to take your picture" attitude. There is wealth on the island, but, like almost everywhere, it remains in the hands of a few people - mostly descendants of the British and recent retirees from the U.S. |
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The descendents of Africans, called Islanders,
usually speak English and tend to live in more established communities along
the coast. Though poor by U.S. standards, their houses tend to be more
solidly built. They often attend the more established, often legalistic,
churches that include Church of God, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, and
Methodist. The Spanish, who have come from the mainland mostly in the last
50 years, are among the poorest people and live in mud, stick, plastic, wood, or
metal houses. Many live in separate communities in the more mountainous
areas of the island. Their churches include the Church of God, Pentecostal M.I.,
and Catholic, but many tend to be "upstart" congregations under a tarp or in unfinished
buildings.
See more
photos of
Life on Roatan
here! |
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