Why were the Galapagos Islands associated with pirates during the colonial period?

During the colonial period, the Galapagos Islands were largely unclaimed and functioned as remote "pirate nests". Because the islands remained outside of formal colonial administration for nearly 300 years, they provided a strategic and secluded refuge for pirates, as well as whale and seal hunters, who operated in the eastern Pacific.12

These groups utilized the archipelago for various practical purposes, including using specific locations as food caches. The islands' isolation and lack of oversight made them an ideal base for these maritime activities before Ecuador took official possession of the territory in 1832.32