LatinaLista — Santa Cruz del Islote is a three-acre island off the northern coast of Colombia. It is an island with a rare distinction — it is one of the most densely populated, mostly man-made, island in the world.
Its population of over 1200 people, squeezed onto the island, only grows as the population increases, with people using coral, shells, rocks and other fillers to expand the island’s foundation for another new home.
Because of the close quarters people find themselves living in and because it is surrounded by water, the island has shaped the community in a special way. The children’s playground is the ocean and neighbors are more than neighbors — they are all family, whether they are related to one another or not.
This unique glimpse into the lives of the people of Santa Cruz del Islote is part of a larger university project by Jonathan Adams who is working on his Master’s of Arts degree from the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.
Through his photography, video and narrative text, the student affectionately known by the islanders as ‘el Gringo,’ bridges the ocean between Santa Cruz del Islote and the rest of the world. The video is a 5-minute time-lapse walkthrough tour of the island.
