The Caribbean islands that share a name with saints but a history of conflict

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Known as the Spanish Virgin Islands, Vieques and Culebra are often overlooked in the broader archipelago. While they share a geological foundation with their neighbors, their path from indigenous settlements to Spanish colonial outposts and eventually U.S. military testing grounds reveals a complex, often turbulent, regional history.

The archipelago of the Virgin Islands was named by Christopher Columbus in 1493 after the legend of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 companions. While the Spanish Empire claimed these lands, they did not settle them, leaving the territory open to centuries of competition between Dutch, French, English, and Danish powers. Vieques and Culebra, however, remained under Spanish control alongside Puerto Rico until the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Before European arrival, these islands were home to indigenous groups. Archaeological evidence suggests Vieques was inhabited 1,500 years before Columbus, with residents resisting early colonial efforts. Culebra served as a refuge for Taíno people fleeing Spanish forces during the 1511 rebellion. Centuries later, the islands faced different pressures; the Spanish governor of Puerto Rico repeatedly evicted English settlers from Vieques throughout the 17th and 18th centuries to maintain dominance.

The 20th century brought profound changes under U.S. administration. In 1903, the U.S. Navy took control of Culebra, displacing residents of San Ildefonso to a small area renamed Dewey. By the 1940s, military expropriation had claimed the majority of Vieques for use as a bombing and artillery range. This practice continued until 2003, after which significant portions of the land were transitioned into national wildlife refuges, marking a shift from military utility to conservation.

Geologically, these islands sit on the Puerto Rico Bank, a carbonate platform shared with the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, they are administered as municipalities of Puerto Rico. While they are distinct from the neighboring territories, their shared name serves as a reminder of the complex colonial legacy that defined the Caribbean's political map for centuries.

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