In prehistoric times the Chocó rainforest
served as a major barrier isolating the Mesoamerican and Andean civilisations,
and the extremely humid climate also failed to attract the Spanish colonists.
The region was eventually granted by the Emberá Indians to the Franciscan order
in 1648, but subsequent attacks by hostile tribes meant attempts at settlement
were abandoned, only to be established again six years later.
It was not until the nineteenth century
when there was interest in finding a shipping route between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans
