These settlers hunted wild cattle and pigs on the island and sold the smoked meat, becoming known as the buccaneers – a word derived from the word boucan, the French word for the rack on which they smoked the meat.Īround 1630, the Spaniards drove the French out of the island, and the buccaneers fled to nearby Tortuga. Later, the first French settlers in the Caribbean lived on the western part of Hispaniola, which is today the country of Haiti. They gave it the name “Isla Tortuga” because the rocky outline of the island appeared to form the shape of a gigantic sea turtle. Tortuga Island was first discovered by Spanish colonists. It became a center of illicit activity and common destination for pirates, privateers, and smugglers from all nations. The rocky island was protected by a strong fort and provided safe anchorage for the French buccaneers between their raids on Spanish ships.
In the Golden Age of Piracy, the island was known for being a pirate haven. Tortuga, meaning “turtle” in Spanish, is an island off the northern coast of Haiti.
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