Contadora means "counter" in Spanish — the island was the place where pearls harvested from across the Pearl Islands archipelago were brought, sorted, counted, and prepared for shipment to Spain. This administrative role during the colonial era gave the island its name and made it the commercial hub of one of the Americas' most lucrative industries.
Pearl diving continued in the archipelago into the 20th century, though the wild oyster beds were severely depleted by overharvesting. The island's history as a counting station is the reason for the name of the Pearl Islands themselves — and a reminder that this quiet, beautiful place once sat at the centre of a brutal extractive economy. There is no formal museum or monument to this history on the island, but it is woven into every place name around you.