Mona Island

Mona Island lies between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, at the meeting of major Caribbean sea routes. Its limestone landscape, caves and limited fresh water created opportunities and constraints for settlement. Indigenous inhabitants used island resources and participated in wider maritime connections, with canoe travel linking communities across surrounding passages. Fishing, cultivation where possible and the gathering of local products helped sustain life, while knowledge of safe landings and water sources was essential to visitors and residents alike.

Spanish expansion from the end of the fifteenth century brought Mona into the colonial world developing around the Greater Antilles. Nearby sea routes carried ships, supplies and people between the larger islands, making the island relevant to navigation and provisioning. Colonial demands and disease disrupted Indigenous communities across the region, while changing political and commercial interests altered the uses of smaller islands.