The Bay Islands (Islas de la Bahia) are located in the South American Caribbean sea, not far from where the Tropic of Cancer divides the hemispheres. Roatan, the biggest and most developed of the islands, was the ideal hiding place for pirates for more than 100 years, until the English soldiers regained control of the islands at the end of the 17th Century. The villages are situated along the shores of the bay, and the local population have among their ancestors English, Dutch or French pirates or can be traced back to the Garifuna, the black people of the Caribbean; a unique ethnic group that originated from a mixture of the Amerindian population and African slaves. Extended families are still the mainstay of social life in these communities, that spend most of their time either fishing or trading in shellfish. A great many galleons full of gold once sailed these seas, but deep down under the water the coral reefs stand guard over a much more precious treasure; a biological and naturalistic one.