The history of the island of Mustique, and of
the Grenadines in general, dates back to the 15th century, when Spanish sailors
first sighted this more or less linear group of small rocky islands and named
them 'Los Pájaros' or 'the birds', because they resembled a small flock of
birds scattered across the sea in flight. During the 17th century the islands
were renamed the Grenadines by pirates, who used the sheltered bays to hide
their ships and treasure. The islands were later utilized by European planters
to grow sugar cane. This
