ESCAPE TO NOWHERE

Santa Cruz del Islote is the outlier among our 13 islands. On the one hand, it’s not a natural island at all: Starting around 1870, it was created by the local population using coral, stone, and debris to raise it out of the water. And on the other hand, there’s nothing forbidden or dangerous about it. On the contrary, it was chosen for its safety…

About 150 years ago, fishermen living on the (then-nine) islands of Colombia’s Archipelago of San Bernardo had begun building a mound of stones, shells, and debris in the water at low tide. Initially it served simply as a landmark, but as the artificial island grew, the fishermen began taking refuge there during storms, sometimes staying overnight. They soon noticed the island’s huge benefit: There were no mosquitoes to cause the malaria and dengue fever that were plaguing the rest of the archipelago. According to legend, one of the fisherman built a hut on the island for himself and his family, and as word got around, more people joined them. They added more stones, then some cement, and the new island they called Santa Cruz del Islote grew to the size of two football fields. Today some 1,200 people live there in about 100 mostly one-story houses. That makes Santa Cruz del Islote one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has a school, a restaurant, and a small square with the cross that gives the island its name. The economy is based on fishing and the services the locals provide to luxury hotels on neighboring islands. There is no reported violence and no need to worry about crime. Young people are increasingly familiar with the outside world, thanks to the free 24-hour Internet connection the Colombian government installed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people expect to live on the island until they die. Then they’ll have to leave— for lack of a cemetery.