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We had a meeting with the Bay Islands Historical and Cultural Preservation Society, and while I’ll share more soon about the project we’re currently working on, I wanted to take a moment to talk about something special from that meeting. Each of us received a copy of A Piece of the Puzzle, written by Keila Rochelle Thompson Gough , our society’s vice president. I started reading it tonight, and right from the introduction, it’s clear how powerful this book is. There’s a line

Back in 2022, in a bid to find historical sites, I had one of those unexpected little adventures that stick with you for years. It wasn’t planned, just one of those moments where weather, timing, and a little bit of luck come together to lead you somewhere completely new. James Bodden and I were heading out on his small boat from Sandy Bay, just behind Hotel Utila. It was the four of us: James, his younger sister Aleah, and my daughter, who was only a year and a half at the t

In 1917, the world was at war, but not all soldiers carried rifles. Some carried notebooks. Sylvanus Griswold Morley (1883–1948) was a Harvard-trained archaeologist, famous for decoding ancient Maya inscriptions. But during World War I, he had another job, one the public wouldn’t know about for decades. He was a spy for the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence. Morley’s official cover was his work for the Carnegie Institution of Washington, mapping Maya ruins. His real mission:

As many of you know, I’ve been visiting different churches around the island to learn more about our religious traditions, especially the Protestant ones that have shaped so much of our culture. This is the first of several articles I’ll be writing about the Church of God, starting with my experience in Coxen Hole. Before attending, I met with Kimberly Raymond, who grew up in the Church of God in French Harbour and later, when she married someone from the western side, transf

If you’ve ever stepped into a Church of God (Evening Light) service, chances are you’ve seen a well-worn copy of Evening Light Songs sitting in a pew or clutched in someone’s hands. It’s not just a hymnal, for this community, it’s part of their identity, a way of keeping their history and faith alive through music. This book was created specifically for the Church of God (Evening Light), a branch of the holiness movement based in Guthrie, Oklahoma. If you’re outside that circ

If you spend enough time in Utila, you’ll hear people talking about the “Cays”, pronounced “keys” by the locals. This little collection of islets sits just off the southwest corner of the main island, and while each one has its own character, together they tell a story that blends natural beauty, rich history, and everyday island life. Water Cay is probably the most famous of the bunch, and for good reason. Picture a stretch of soft sand surrounded by blue water so clear you

Back in the 1980s, life on the island of Utila moved at its own gentle rhythm. Neighbors were close, everyone knew everyone, and friendships crossed fences and front yards. You could borrow sugar, chat over a gate, or help each other in small ways, but when it came to social gatherings, there were lines people didn’t cross. Birthday parties, dances, and Sunday school events? Those were another story. At the time, Utila had a kind of informal segregation. People got along in e

Years ago, I found several long, thin pieces of obsidian that, at the time, I only knew were old. Now, with research and the help of archaeological studies, it’s clear what they are: prismatic obsidian blades, razor-sharp tools shaped by the Pech people, one of the oldest Indigenous groups of Honduras. These blades aren’t random shards. They were made intentionally, struck from prepared cores to produce long, thin pieces with edges sharp enough to handle everything from food

September 6th, I had the opportunity to visit a small community in the capital to attend a Honduran Fair. During September, communities across Honduras gather to celebrate Independence Month, and this event was a small example of that tradition. The streets were alive with energy: locals of this community came together to sell traditional Honduran foods. I tried the famous pastel borracho, "drunk cake" made with rum. Bria enjoyed the delicious carrot cake and tacos. What stoo

The Bay Islands are full of history, sometimes in the most unexpected places. At the Wesley Methodist Church and School in Coxen Hole, right behind the basketball court, there’s a broken tombstone that many people barely notice. My sister went to school there for two years, and when I asked her about it, she, like others I spoke to, didn’t remember ever being told whose grave it was. Students just recall seeing it there, often sitting on it during lunch breaks. It turns out t

During the summer of 1939, R.W. Feachem paid a visit to the Bay Islands, joined by Mr. Derek Leaf for most of the time. They did an expedition out there. For local and European reasons, the expedition was cut short, but in the time available, they were able to accomplish much. The support of Lord Moyne of the Royal Geographical Society, the University of Cambridge, the Faculty of Archaeology at Cambridge, and Trinity College made the expedition possible, and the generosity wa

Every old map has a story to tell, and few do it with the elegance and precision of the 1775 work titled “Ruatan or Rattan, surveyed by Lieutenant Henry Barnsley, with improvements by Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to the King.” Printed in London on February 20, 1775, by Robert Sayer, this map is more than a piece of parchment with ink, it’s an image of a world in transition, when empires were staking claims, sailors were risking everything on the sea, and the Caribbean was in t

When people picture Roatan today, with paved roads across the island, it’s hard to imagine a time when getting around was next to impossible. But in the late 1960s, roads were little more than muddy scars in the floor, usable only in dry weather, and in the rainy season, nearly impassable. To build a resort on the north side of the island back then meant more than vision and money. It meant carving a road through some of the roughest terrain in the Bay Islands. That’s exactly

When you think of Roatan today, you usually imagine beaches, coral reefs, and the growth of tourism. But life on the island hasn’t always revolved around visitors. In fact, for much of its history, survival depended on traditions that may sound unusual to us now. One of those was the practice of child lending. You read that right, child lending. According to David K. Evans, a researcher from Wake Forest University who published the paper Recent Sociocultural Change in Roatan,

Roatan’s economy today is quite diverse, tourism and diving usually come to mind. But just a few decades ago, life on the island revolved around very different industries, coconuts, shrimp, and eventually overseas jobs. According to David K. Evans, coconut harvesting was once the main source of income across the Bay Islands. Families who owned land with coconut trees could count on steady harvests, selling their crops for export, often through contracts with Miami importers.

How this dessert made its way from Southern United States to the Bay Islands, I don’t know exactly. I remember trying this Banana Pudding out on a few occasions while I was a little girl during holidays in Roatan. As an adult I came to find it in Utila. Mrs. Annie Rose sent me the recipe she uses which is as follows: You’ll need: 1 8oz of instant vanilla pudding mix 2 cups of cold milk 1 small can of sweetened condensed milk 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 1 small contamines

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on something very close to my heart, an essay about one of the Bay Islands’ most beautiful yet fading traditions: the dance around the May Pole Tree. For generations, this dance was one of the liveliest and most meaningful community celebrations on the islands. It represented unity, joy, and a deep connection to who we are as islanders. Sadly, like many traditions passed down orally, it has been eroding in recent years under outside

For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on the culture interviews of ARC+ News , a new media project that came about from few conversations among island friends and colleagues on how much the Bay Islands needed a media that digs deeper, runs investigations, and focuses on stories that really matter. We felt that news in general has become sensational and misses the chance to highlight people doing real work for our communities. This is a platform that showcases truth

I came across an old book during a trip to Covington, Louisiana; a gem Lani Mcnab luckily owns. It is called "MacNab: The Last Laird" written by Roland Wild, published back in 1938. It’s a rare one, packed with stories about the origins of the MacNab clan. If you're unfamiliar, the MacNab family, now spelled McNab are one of the British families that made their way and still exists on the Bay Islands, more specifically of Scottish descent. The opening tale grabbed me instantl

Over the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Chef Liz Paz at the University of Unitec Honduras , where she teaches within the Gastronomy career. Each visit has been a treat for me, I've gotten to sample incredible dishes. Recently, Chef Paz invited me for a new kind of experience. She now teaches courses in Food Conservation and Sustainability, and she wanted to explore the island’s culinary techniques and unique local ingredients to inspire future dishes. Durin