Thread: Bocas del Torro’s name

I was able to read that when Columbus explored in this place, it was not named as Bocas del Torro. He originally named it as Isla del Drago. However, the article did not include how this place became Bocas del Torro and why they changed it into that name. Do you have any information on this?

That's really interesting. I don't want to research any further, though. You know, information overload! History is not really a favorite subject. I haven't thought about it really. I mean, knowing how they came up with that name. I hope someone from Bocas will tell us.

Originally Posted by oopsie-daisy

That's really interesting. I don't want to research any further, though. You know, information overload! History is not really a favorite subject. I haven't thought about it really. I mean, knowing how they came up with that name. I hope someone from Bocas will tell us.

I am always fascinated to discover how things get to the way it is right now. It is really amusing to learn how the people develop something or how a place evolved to have that name.

What does Bocas del Torro mean in Spanish? It's probably just a descriptive term about the area. This is how most places get their names.

It translate into "Mouths of the Bull" and refers to the numerous rivers that flow into the bay .

Originally Posted by cessy

However, the article did not include how this place became Bocas del Torro and why they changed it into that name. Do you have any information on this?

It also helps if its spelled correctly--there is only one 'r' in toro; eliminating that 'r' results in a correct translation...spelling it 'torro'= 1st person singular (Yo, or I) conjugation of the verb 'to roast.' That really doesn't work!

As far as how it was named 'Isla del Drago,' that is open to some translational speculation. Your quote presented it in the singular, 'Isla,' so that would be the name of one island, not the name of the group. Using the verb, dragar= to dredge, in the Yo form results in a meaning close to 'Dredge(d) Island.' Perhaps commenting on the low-profile, flat island(s) in comparison to the eastern Caribbean islands, many of which are mountainous and volcanic in nature.

Cheers.

It seems like many of the places in Panama have a meaning behind their names. Most of the names just say something about the place. In the United States, most places names do not seem to have a meaning. Take Connecticut or Massachusetts, for example; Those words do not have any meaning in English.

Originally Posted by tallman33

Take Connecticut or Massachusetts, for example; Those words do not have any meaning in English.

Hey Tallman, I don't mean to nitpick too much, but both of those place names are of Native American origin; since many of the languages used at the time of European settlement have since died out, and we didn't get the correct translations at the time...they are essentially gobbeldigook now.
The southwestern U.S./northern Mexico share a lot of the same place names since they were named by the same groups of Catholic missionaries that were so prevalent until the 1800's.
Many of the place names in southern Mexico are of Nahuatl origin (lots of places ending in -emoc, or -temoc,) as well as Spanish. By the time you travel down to C.R. and Panama, its mostly Spanish, and doesn't get back to the native languages until the Andes or the Amazon.
It's a remarkable spread of foreign influence when you are reading the place names on a map and recognize the European language of origin.

Cheers.

Are all the United States names derived from native American names. It would make sense, because I can't think of meanings behind Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee, etc.

Although, Washington is probably named after George Washington. And, New York is name after York.

Okay, Tallman! You asked for it! The original thirteen colonies are more likely to have English-based names from kings/queens (Maryland, Virgina, Georgia,) places (New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey,) with the random French influence for Vermont (Montes verdes, 'green mountains,) and the rest take a combo of Dutch/English and Native American names.
The midwest really relies heavily on N.A. names, some with a French twist; you see the patterns in lots of double consonants, ex. Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

A basic rundown of Spanish-derived state names...
Colorado (Colored Red -- the western slopes of the Rockies look totally red at sunset,) Nevada (Snowfall, referring to the snowcapped peaks,) California (being "hot as an oven" or a "lime oven" ("cali > hot", "fornus->forno > oven" + ending "ia" for a place,) Arizona (Zona árida-arid zone,) New Mexico (calqued from the Spanish, Nuevo Mexico,) Florida (Flowered + 'ia, place,) and Montana (Mountain) are all named from the Spanish. I first read these in one of my Spanish texts, but the Wiki has a section on it as well.
Spanish in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few extras:
Oklahoma = The state's name, derived from the words okla and homma, literally means "red people," and was chosen during the 1866 treaty negotiations by Allen Wright, the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation.
Tennessee = The word Tennessee comes from the Cherokee town Tanasi, which along with its neighbor town Chota was one of the most important Cherokee towns and often referred to as the capital city of the Overhill Cherokee. The meaning of the word "tanasi" is lost (Mooney, 1900). Some believe that Tanasi may mean "River with a big bend," referring to the Cumberland, or that the word Tanasi may have meant "gathering place", as a reference to government or worship for the Native American tribes pre-existent to the pioneer era.
Mississippi = The name Mississippi, which means "great river," comes from either Ojibwe, a Native American language spoken around the river's headwaters, or some other closely related Algonquian language (c.f. Ojibwe misi-ziibi)

Apparently, both Oregon and Idaho were named by typographical errors, translated map problems or by straight-up hoax. You've got to appreciate the moxie it took Congressmen in the late 1800's to just make up a name for the new states being annexed out of the territories.!

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Lalaguayaba

Okay, Tallman! You asked for it! The original thirteen colonies are more likely to have English-based names from kings/queens (Maryland, Virgina, Georgia,) places (New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey,) with the random French influence for Vermont (Montes verdes, 'green mountains,) and the rest take a combo of Dutch/English and Native American names.
The midwest really relies heavily on N.A. names, some with a French twist; you see the patterns in lots of double consonants, ex. Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

A basic rundown of Spanish-derived state names...
Colorado (Colored Red -- the western slopes of the Rockies look totally red at sunset,) Nevada (Snowfall, referring to the snowcapped peaks,) California (being "hot as an oven" or a "lime oven" ("cali > hot", "fornus->forno > oven" + ending "ia" for a place,) Arizona (Zona árida-arid zone,) New Mexico (calqued from the Spanish, Nuevo Mexico,) Florida (Flowered + 'ia, place,) and Montana (Mountain) are all named from the Spanish. I first read these in one of my Spanish texts, but the Wiki has a section on it as well.
Spanish in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few extras:
Oklahoma = The state's name, derived from the words okla and homma, literally means "red people," and was chosen during the 1866 treaty negotiations by Allen Wright, the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation.
Tennessee = The word Tennessee comes from the Cherokee town Tanasi, which along with its neighbor town Chota was one of the most important Cherokee towns and often referred to as the capital city of the Overhill Cherokee. The meaning of the word "tanasi" is lost (Mooney, 1900). Some believe that Tanasi may mean "River with a big bend," referring to the Cumberland, or that the word Tanasi may have meant "gathering place", as a reference to government or worship for the Native American tribes pre-existent to the pioneer era.
Mississippi = The name Mississippi, which means "great river," comes from either Ojibwe, a Native American language spoken around the river's headwaters, or some other closely related Algonquian language (c.f. Ojibwe misi-ziibi)

Apparently, both Oregon and Idaho were named by typographical errors, translated map problems or by straight-up hoax. You've got to appreciate the moxie it took Congressmen in the late 1800's to just make up a name for the new states being annexed out of the territories.!

Cheers!

Thanks! I feel a lot smarter now.

How did you learn all that?