San Blas or Guna Yala: one territory, two names
The archipelago many travelers call San Blas received that name from Spanish colonial maps. It became the label repeated in guidebooks, travel forums, and old documents — but it was never the territory’s original name.
Why do two names exist for the same place?
The Guna people — historically also written Kuna — have always referred to their land as Guna Yala, meaning “the land of the Guna.” In the early 21st century, the Guna General Congress reaffirmed the official use of the Guna spelling and strengthened Guna Yala as the recognized name of their autonomous region.
This shift isn’t cosmetic. It is part of a broader movement for cultural sovereignty: regulating tourism on their own terms, managing their coastal and island territory, and reinforcing their identity in the face of external pressures.
Today, both names coexist:
San Blas, widely used by international travelers, and Guna Yala, the authentic name chosen by the people who live there. At Go San Blas, we use both terms to help visitors navigate information — but we prioritize Guna Yala out of respect for its cultural and historical weight.
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