Plan of the Island and Fortifications of La Tortuga

The Caribbean Sea, full of small islands that were impossible for the Spanish to defend, was easily colonized by the English, French, and Dutch in the 18th century. Islands with no stable government, such as Jamaica and Tortuga, became ideal places for smuggling and were used as bases by pirates and privateers.

The island of Tortuga (meaning ''tortoise''), named by Christopher Columbus because of the shape of its hills, was well-known for its smugglers. Fairly well-organized buccaneers and pirates arrived here from islands such as Hispaniola and Jamaica.