English settlement in Nicaragua
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Settlement of English people along the Caribbean Coast, or
Miskito Coast The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskitu ...
, of
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
began in 1633. The area was controlled by Britain until 1860, and eventually integrated into Nicaragua by 1894. The Miskito Coast region divided into two autonomous regions within Nicaragua after 1987.


Caribbean coast

The first English settlers of the Miskito Coast arrived in 1633, exchanging products through primitive trade with the
Miskitos The Miskitos are a native people in Central America. Their territory extends from Cape Camarón, Honduras, to Río Grande de Matagalpa, Nicaragua, along the Mosquito Coast, in the Western Caribbean Zone. Their population is estimated at 700,000 ...
. The English exchanged manufactured goods such as guns, machetes, beds, mirrors etc., in exchange for cocoa, animal skins, sarsaparilla, rubber, wood, and turtle shells. The formation of an English colony in the region led
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to protest, but
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managed to create a colony on the Caribbean Coast. This colony had two different, but complementary, production methods; one a capitalist basis and the other communal. Capitalist production was based on the import of African slaves to work on sugar cane and cotton plantations, and the harvesting of
Mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
. Arguably, the English were responsible for transporting most of the African slaves that were forcibly resettled in Nicaragua. The obtained products were sold to other English colonies in North America, the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and
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. Communal production, typical of the area and strengthened by new settlers, was based on the appointment of a Miskito King. The first such King,
Oldman Oldman may refer to: People * Oldman (king) (died 1687), King of the Miskito Nation *Albert Oldman (1883–1961), British boxer * C. B. Oldman (1894–1969), English bibliographer *Gary Oldman (born 1958), British actor * Hugh Oldman (1914–1988), ...
, was appointed during the
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and continued during the reign of
Charles II of England and Scotland Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
and after the Acts of Union between England and
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. In 1847, the British occupied the Nicaraguan side of the
Miskito Coast The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskitu ...
.


British withdrawal

In 1860 Britain and the
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signed a treaty following the development of international negotiations between the two countries. As a result, from 1894 the UK gradually ceded its territories in the region and in 1905 handed the territory to US companies. The latter occupation lasted until 1930. After British withdrawal, the Miskito coast remained an autonomous region of Nicaragua for 44 years. It maintained its own laws and regulations until 1894, when the region was integrated into Nicaragua by President José Santos Zelaya. This developed monopolies for
mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
s in the area and for US interests, and the name of the region was changed to the Department of Zelaya. The government encouraged massive immigration of Nicaraguan mestizos, especially those engaged in military and commercial affairs, and entrepreneurs. Immigrants and Nicaraguan government officials evicted the indigenous Amerindians and Afro-descendants from their lands and imposed heavy fines on the indigenous groups living on the coast. In addition, the government abolished the region's laws by force and replaced them with Nicaraguan institutions, including the state's education, legal and governance structures. The most important result was the prohibition of education in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and other indigenous languages such as that spoken by the
Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian ...
. The result was the abandonment of schools and colleges by the indigenous communities of the Miskito coast for generations. Additionally, the Nicaraguan coast remained economically dominated by US companies until the 1930s when they were gradually replaced by the capital of the Somoza family and its allies until 1979 with the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution. In 1987 the Miskito Coast achieved autonomy from Nicaragua. In order to maintain the country's territorial integrity, the government divided the territory into two autonomous regions now known as the
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the reg ...
and the
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987. It covers an area of 33,106 km2 and has a population of 541,189 (2021 estimate). It is the l ...
, but internal conflicts remain.


References

Ethnic groups in Nicaragua English diaspora European Nicaraguan English diaspora in North America {{Portal, England, Nicaragua