The history of the pearls from the Archipelago de Las Perlas has been of interest to archaeologists, and other historians as well as the general public for a long time.  Some of the pearls gathered in these islands are not in national and foreign museums; instead they are in private collections and in the hands of individuals…and have been discovered more as a result of the manner of the Spanish plundering and their adversities at sea, rather than of archaeological investigation.

In Pre-Columbian times, Las Perlas Islands were ruled by an Indian king whose main focus was pearl-diving. Pearls were then used as ornament and to trade with. Most of the pearls in the world were collected in these waters.  First settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, pearls were found in the waters around Contadora, including the astonishing 31 carat, over 400 year old Pelegrina pearl owned now by Elizabeth Taylor. This is pearl jewelry with a renowned history, since its owners have included a Queen of Spain, a French Emperor and an English Queen.

Contadora Island was the destination of the Spanish fleet for all the pearls collected to be counted, in route to the Spanish Court.   The Pearl Islands stimulated the greed of many Spanish conquistadors. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who discovered and gave name to the Pacific Ocean from a point less than 90 kilometers from San Jose Island, was attracted by its wealth in gold and pearls. Later on, the Archipelagos de las Perlas sheltered infamous pirates of many different nationalities, who for several centuries looted the wealthy Spanish settlements and fleet.

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