San Blas Islands
The San Blas Islands of Panama is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. A part of the comarca (district) Guna Yala (also spelled Kuna Yala) along the Caribbean coast of Panama is home to the Kuna Indians. San Blas and its surrounding area is a haven for ecotourists because of its pristine environs. The area is also popular for sailing, as it is known for its beauty and lack of hurricanes.
Tradition and legacy
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Kuna wore few clothes and decorated their bodies with colorful designs. When encouraged to wear clothes by the missionaries, they copied these designs in their molas, which they wore as clothing.
The Kuna worship a god named Erragon, whom they believe came and died just for the Kuna people. Driven off Panama during the Spanish invasion, the Kuna fled to the surrounding 378 islands. Today their chief lives on an island called Acuadup, which means "rock island". Many Kuna are hunters and fishermen. On some of the islands, children can attend school. Most of the men now speak Spanish, although the women carry on older traditions.
San Blas
San Blas, the Spanish name for Saint Blaise, may refer to:
Places
See also
Cusco
Cusco (/ˈkuːzkoʊ/), often spelled Cuzco (Spanish: Cuzco, [ˈkusko] or [ˈkuθko]; Quechua: Qusqu or Qosqo, IPA: [ˈqɔsqɔ]), is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. In 2013, the city had a population of 435,114. Located on the eastern end of the Knot of Cuzco, its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).
The site was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th into the 16th century until the Spanish conquest. In 1983 Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has become a major tourist destination, receiving nearly 2 million visitors a year. The Constitution of Peru designates it as the Historical Capital of Peru.
Spelling and etymology
The indigenous name of this city is Qusqu. Although the name was used in Quechua, its origin has been found in the Aymara language. The word is derived from the phrase qusqu wanka ('Rock of the owl'), related to the city's foundational myth of the Ayar Siblings. According to this legend, Ayar Awqa (Ayar Auca) acquired wings and flew to the site of the future city; there he was transformed into a rock to mark the possession of the land by his ayllu ('lineage').
San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit.
City
San Blas is a port and a popular tourist destination, located about 160 km north of Puerto Vallarta, and 64 km west of the state capital Tepic. The town has a population of 8,707.
Municipality
The total municipality had a population of 37,478 in 2005. The Islas Marías, site of an infamous prison colony, are part of the municipality.
History
San Blas was founded in 1531, but the official date of founding is 1768, when Don Manuel Rivera and 116 families arrived on the orders of the Viceroy of New Spain, Marqués de Croix, under the supervision of José de Gálvez, who was visitador general ("inspector") of New Spain.
San Blas was the port from which the Spanish priest Junípero Serra, Father President of the California Missions, departed for California. He left on March 12, 1768 from the nearby Las Islitas beach on Matanchen Bay, in the locally built barque Purísima Concepción.
