Las Perlas Historia Ahoy there! Where am I?

Pearl Republic could also be called pearl paradise. While all the yesteryear pirates and many of the pearls are gone, what you will find today is a lush, tropical virgin landscape and crystal-clear pristine waters. It is a very real “paradise found.”

The Pearl Islands--known throughout Central America as Las Perlas Archipelago--begins 40 miles south of Panama City in the rolling swells of the Pacific Ocean. How many islands? Well, there is no official count. Estimates range from over 100 to near 200 at low tide.

In the market for an island? You have come to the right place. All of “The Pearls” are privately owned. The late actor John Wayne was one landlord, but like many, left his island uninhabited and unspoiled. The most populous animals are wild pigs, deer and iguanas. On wing you will see colorful parrots and giant pigeons, joining over 100 species of birds that nest in The Pearls.

Pirates on the loose

The history of Las Perlas is rich. Especially so if you were a pirate. These waters were perilously fraught with pirate activities. And here we have a paradox. Folklore has labeled two of the most famous--Francis Drake (known as The Dragon) and Henry Morgan (Terror of the Caribbean)--as demonically evil.

Were they? Decide for yourself. First you must know they were “privateers,” commissioned by England to harass the Spaniards. Their wages were whatever bounty they could confiscate from wayward Spanish ships; these Europeans had previously confiscated their bounty from Peru.

These two buccaneers found The Pearls wonderful for counting their spoils and taking a day off. And “counting” plunder is the meaning of Contadora, the island nearest the Panamanian mainland. From here captains and crews were a few sailing hours away from a bawdy night on the town. Later the counting was pearls.

As a recent historical note, these two famous privateers provided team names when the TV series Survivor did their Pearl Islands footage in 2003. Another visit is scheduled.

Prior to the Spaniards and pirates engaging in high-seas fisticuffs, the archipelago was ruled by a king and queen, whose few subjects used pearls as local currency and in trade. It was the beauty of these pearls and greed which eventually brought the Spaniards and others with access to an oceangoing ship.

All the trappings of paradise

In addition to snowy white sun-sprinkled beaches, towering rain forests, stately coconut palms, fields teeming with wildflowers and an abundance of fish, you have a perfect year-round climate. The high temperature seldom tops 90 degrees, and the low of 70 in the evening is often preceded by brief rainfall. There are no threats from hurricanes, volcanoes or earthquakes.

But above all else, it was the lure of magnificent deepwater pearls. At one time plentiful, they were revered and prized around the globe. And the oyster beds in The Pearl Islands yielded a harvest of the world’s most renowned and expensive of all. Originally owned by royalty, a 31-carat 400-year-old pearl is today under the guardianship of actress Elizabeth Taylor‘s estate. The price 35 years ago was $37,000.

And just as the pearls disappeared from over-harvesting, so did any trace of civilization. These fortune seekers retreated to the mainland, and The Pearls returned to its former glory and solitude. Today there are only a couple of settlements and small resorts which have the amenities of modern life. Can there be such a thing as a lonely paradise?

It has been long enough now for the pearls to begin returning. And as you read this text, you know Mother Nature is out there working her wonderful magic.

Until that day comes, Pearl Republic will stay true to its name -- specializing in low-cost, high-quality genuine cultured pearls. As we say -- Real pearls, really chic.

Welcome aboard.

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