Juan Fernandez Islands

The Juan Fernández Islands became known to European navigation in the sixteenth century, with 22 November 1574 accepted as the conventional date of Juan Fernández's encounter. Their isolated position off Chile made them a refuge for privateers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1704 Alexander Selkirk went ashore on Más a Tierra, remaining there for more than four years before being rescued in 1709.

Spanish authorities sought to prevent foreign ships from making use of this refuge. A royal order of 7 May 1749 directed that the island be settled and defended. In March 1750 a ship sailed from Concepción carrying soldiers, settlers and prisoners assigned to fortification work. Construction began on the settlement and the Santa Bárbara defences, but the sea destroyed the works on 25 May 1751 and rebuilding became necessary. Even after settlement, dependence on provisions from the mainland made hunger a recurrent danger. The islands' strategic value was therefore accompanied by the persistent difficulty of sustaining an isolated garrison and community.