A Pirate’s Life for Me
Worker’s compensation, democratic organization and separation of powers as well as equal treatment under the law are all traditions of piracy, where lawless men outside the nation-state systems of their time created their own version of fairness while they robbed from the rich and gave to the poor – or more often – themselves.
The first recorded incident of piracy dates back to the 14th century BC and continued on through the age of Vikings, but the Golden Age of piracy in the Caribbean is recognized to have been the 16th and 17th century when Buccaneers, so named after the huts where they smoked their jerk meat indigenous style, terrorized the trade routes entering and exiting the “new world.”
El Pirata Cofresí is the most famous of the Puerto Rican Buccaneer pirates, growing his legend through his generosity and ability to evade authorities with his much smaller, faster and more agile ships. His flagship, the Anne, is supposed to have gone by the nickname El Mosquito, and is possibly where our bioluminescent bay got its name as he was said to have hidden in its shallow waters between raids.
One fact is certain; the island’s highest point, Monte Pirata, would have made an excellent lookout to spy trade ships nearing the Antilles. And the desire for anarchic freedom first claimed by these rebels lives on in Pirate Parties that have sprung up across the world advocating for civil rights, direct democracy, free sharing of knowledge and transparency.
Ahoy indeed.
A Pirate’s Life for Me
Worker’s compensation, democratic organization and separation of powers as well as equal treatment under the law are all traditions of piracy, where lawless men outside the nation-state systems of their time created their own version of fairness while they robbed from the rich and gave to the poor – or more often – themselves.
The first recorded incident of piracy dates back to the 14th century BC and continued on through the age of Vikings, but the Golden Age of piracy in the Caribbean is recognized to have been the 16th and 17th century when Buccaneers, so named after the huts where they smoked their jerk meat indigenous style, terrorized the trade routes entering and exiting the “new world.”
El Pirata Cofresí is the most famous of the Puerto Rican Buccaneer pirates, growing his legend through his generosity and ability to evade authorities with his much smaller, faster and more agile ships. His flagship, the Anne, is supposed to have gone by the nickname El Mosquito, and is possibly where our bioluminescent bay got its name as he was said to have hidden in its shallow waters between raids.
One fact is certain; the island’s highest point, Monte Pirata, would have made an excellent lookout to spy trade ships nearing the Antilles. And the desire for anarchic freedom first claimed by these rebels lives on in Pirate Parties that have sprung up across the world advocating for civil rights, direct democracy, free sharing of knowledge and transparency.
Ahoy indeed.