In San Juan del Norte
Chapter 12. The Atlantic Coast and its Caribbean pirates
Tlaxcala Historical Center, Tlaxcala, Mexico
It was still early morning when Grandfather pointed out the port town of San Juan del Norte, dead ahead of us. In fact, it looked quite small but, at the same time, it definitely had its charm, for it was set on the coastline, surrounded by white sandy beaches, sandbars, lagoons and dense tropical vegetation. As it bathed in the warm morning light, it resulted in a most colorful, tropical scene. We overflew the area, while Grandfather outlined the geography.
“See the town as it lies below us? Good, now look a little further, to the north of it. There, see that river flowing beneath us. It turns back on itself, flowing to the south. It follows the coastline, separating that huge sandy bar from the sea. That’s the Indio River or the Indian River. There’s a reason for the name. The Mesquite people settled these lands and lived here for hundreds of years. As far as we can see from up here, has belonged to the Mesquite Kingdom, until recently. The name of this river is the Indian River because the natives, or the Mesquites, have also been called Indians, these lands and their inhabitants having been mistaken for India That is undoubtedly a mistake because they have no connection whatsoever with India… The Mesquite still remember their first king, and his name was Oldman.
“The sand bar below is called a spit. It protects the town from the storm waves and hurricanes. That big lagoon over there,” he said, pointing with his finger, “is the Santa Lucia Lagoon. It’s chock full of delicious things to eat; unless for some reason, you don’t particularly enjoy tasty seafood, such as, oysters and shrimp. Finally, over there, that is the mouth of the San Juan River. That’s the gateway or the entrance to the river and of course ultimately to Granada. Over there, near the airport, you still can recognize the ruins of the old San Juan Fort. The river has changed its course over the years, and the town has been relocated a few times as well. If a pirate could get by that point, there’s still two forts to intercept them, before the scoundrels reach Granada.
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