The island forgotten for centuries, from pirates to the rebirth of a kingdom

During his second voyage, Christopher Columbus discovered the island and named it Santa María la Redonda. However, since Redonda was a small island measuring just 3 km², it was of no interest to the colonial powers, so much so that for centuries it served as a refuge for pirates.  At the end of the 19th century, the British decided to annex Redonda to exploit the phosphate deposits present and produced by the birds that populated Redonda. From then on, Redonda followed the fortunes of the British Empire first and then the State of Antigua and Barbuda. Mining on the island continued until the early 1900s, when the mining company operating on the island decided to abandon it, leaving Redonda to its former solitude.  Unfortunately, during the mining of Redonda, animals such as rats and goats were introduced, destroying the island's ecosystem. In 2020, a major environmental restoration project eliminated the goats through a capture and relocation program, allowing native fauna to reclaim their territory, especially the "Redonda ameiva," a black lizard about 15 centimeters long. The Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) oversaw and coordinated the restoration project, thanks in part to numerous donations, including anonymous donations from the entourage of King José Juan I, who closely monitored the work of countless volunteers.