The Mosquito Coast (Mosquitia) 1856

The earliest civilisation in Nicaragua occurred not before the 16th century with the settlement of the Miskito or Wayas. But the usual misinterpretation and deliberate misunderstanding of Europeans labelled it as 'Mosquito Coast' although it has no connection with the insect. After the Miskito tribe, the Sumu tribe or the Mayangnas are the largest in today's Nicaragua region, while there are pockets of the Rama tribe in the interiors of Nicaragua. In 1502, Christopher Columbus 'discovered' the coastline inhabited by the Miskito tribe. While the western coast was being expanded with smaller kingdoms such as Chorotega, Mistega, Tezoatega, Managua, Masaya, Nagrand, Diria, Nequecheri, Nochari, Nicoya and Cuahcapolca, that would later combine to form Nicaragua, the eastern quarters had larger tribal territories such as Guaxenicos, Olocoton, Matagalpas, Ulwas, Payas apart from the regions as mentioned above of the Miskitos, Ramas and Sumu. With the decline and downfall of the Mayan Civilisation in Mexico and around, the Spanish territories amalgamated native kingdoms into the larger Viceroyalty of New Spain. Still, individual departments emerged that would take shape into current republics. Other sub-tribes subordinated under the Sumos or Mayangnas were Panamahkas, Yuskus, Boas, Kukra, Prinzus, Bawikas, Silam, Ku and Tawahkas. 

While the Viceroyalty of New Spain was shaping up from California to Costa Rica, it was subsequently divided into various 'departments' that changed their political boundaries throughout centuries. While most of them were large territories such as Alta California, New Mexico, New Philippines, the Kingdom of Mexico etc., the one that encapsulated entire Central America was the Kingdom of Guatemala, which extended from Guatemala to Costa Rica. A 19th-century map shows the various provinces of the Guatemala Kingdom such as: 

1. Chiapa
2. Quesaltenango
3. Totonicapa
4. Solola
5. Suchiteteque
6. Chimalten
7. Verapaz
8. Peten
9. Escuinta
10. Catepeque
11. Chiquimula
12. Sonsonate
13. Provincia de Salvador
14. Provincia de Comayagua
15. Costa de Honduras
16. Provincia de Tegusigalpa
17. Provincia de Leon
18. Provincia de Segovia
19. Costa Ryca

Among these provinces, Leon and Segovia consisted of central and western Nicaragua and had numerous cities and towns established; the eastern quarter was relatively sparsely populated and wasn't marked under any specific province. Instead, the two dominant tribes - Miskito and Sambu, are drawn on the coast of Nicaragua. But the Mosquito Coast was made a British colony early in 1720 that lasted until the next century. In 1740, it became a formal British protectorate under the supervision of British Honduras (which, interestingly, is today's Belize) till 1786. For the next 57 years, there were several Spanish attempts to regain control, but finally, in 1844, the British regained Mosquito Coast as a protectorate. After four years, the Miskitos captured San Juan del Norte, a Spanish settlement on the eastern coast, and passed it on to the British, rechristening Greytown. This was a dramatic moment that tied the seal of Mosquito Coast or Mosquitia's future, as in future, it would be annexed to Honduras, a newly independent country that had swung between the fate of Spain and Mexico in the 1820s. Finally, in 1860, the English occupation of the Mosquito Coast ended, and now its future would proceed towards getting annexed into new republics. 

In 1894, another harbour town on the Mosquito Coast, Blewfields (Bluefields), was occupied by Nicaraguan forces in the same year, thus incorporating the region in Nicaragua once and for all. Therefore, this ended the independent phase of Mosquito Coast. Today, this region is divided into two provinces of Nicaragua; the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region in the north and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region in the south. 

Below is a recreated map of the Mosquito Coast or Mosquitia, dating 1856, initially sketched by James Wyld.