Puná Island

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

The Isla de Puná ( Puná Island ) is a 855 km ² island in the south of Ecuador's coast at the mouth of the river Guayas in the Gulf of Guayaquil in the Pacific. This places it south of the port city of Guayaquil between the Jambeli and the Morro channel, connecting the mouth of the Guayas with the open Gulf.

History

In April 1531 a battle between the Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro and the indigenous Tumbez took place on the island. The Tumbez had previously maintained their independence from the Incas, what they did not succeed against the Spaniards. From Puná of Pizarro came to the mainland and the conquest of the Incan Empire began. 1541 was on Puná the partisan of Pizarro and Bishop of Peru ( Cuzco ), the Dominican Vicente de Valverde, murdered by the Tumbez in response to the destruction of their places of worship and after chronicler reports eaten in a cannibalistic ritual. Since 1557 Puná became the location of shipyards, mainly galleons manufactured and repaired. The island was in the 16th and 17th centuries, several times the scene of battles between Spanish troops and pirates.

Presence

Politically forms Puná today a rural parish of the canton of Guayaquil Guayas Province in Ecuador. The island has about 6,500 inhabitants (2001 ) living from farming, fishing and mollusc gathering. 94 % of them are classified as "poor ". Many of the natural mangroves on the island were destroyed by commercial shrimp farming. The first projects to its restoration was begun.

• Island (Ecuador)
• Island (South America)
• Island ( Pacific Ocean )