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The 'Hawaiian adventure' of Costa del Sol farmers: deception and suffering

Hundreds of farmers from Estepona emigrated to Hawaii in the early 20th century seeking a better future, only to face deception and unfulfilled promises.

Vintage sepia photograph of Spanish farmers on a ship's deck during a long sea voyage, with the ocean in the background.
IA

Vintage sepia photograph of Spanish farmers on a ship's deck during a long sea voyage, with the ocean in the background.

In the early 20th century, hundreds of farmers from the Costa del Sol, particularly Estepona, emigrated to Hawaii attracted by promises of prosperity, but encountered deception and deplorable living conditions.

The promise of a better future and an escape from hunger led half a thousand farmers from the Costa del Sol to embark on an uncertain 'Hawaiian adventure' early last century. Lured by salaries of 24 dollars and promises of housing and schooling for their children, many left behind the hardships of Spanish agriculture, characterized by agrarian backwardness and subsistence living conditions.
The Spanish Government's prohibition in late 1907 on recruiting emigrants and propaganda from emigration agencies, following abuses detected on the ship Heliópolis, did not halt the exodus. Between 1911 and 1913, five ships departed from Gibraltar, drawing labor from the western coast of Malaga. They sought men aged 17 to 45 and women under 40, offering free passage, schooling, and housing with a plot of land.
The new owners of the Polynesian archipelago, after its annexation by the United States, sought to replace Asian laborers with European emigrants. According to James Fernández, Professor of Spanish Literature and Culture at New York University and author of Invisible Immigrants, the aim was to 'whiten and stabilize the workforce' with 'white' families knowledgeable in sugarcane cultivation.
The journey, spanning 16,800 nautical miles from Gibraltar to the Pacific, was marked by unsanitary conditions and suffering. Francisco Medina, retired director of an institute in Estepona, recounts that they 'were treated like slaves,' transported on cargo ships with separated families and a high risk of infections. During the voyage of the freighter Orteric, fourteen births and the deaths of fifty-seven children from various diseases were recorded.
The initial promises vanished upon arrival. The 24-dollar salary was per family, and ownership of the house and plot depended on agricultural yields and conduct. The Spanish consul in Hawaii, Ignacio de Arana, confirmed that the salary barely covered family expenses, with many living in poverty and indebted to the plantations. The Great Depression of 1929 allowed some families to save money and purchase land in California.
The history of Spanish emigration to Hawaii and later to California is complex. Steve Alonzo has counted 7,703 Spaniards from 583 towns, with Estepona being the municipality that contributed the most (271), followed by Manilva (113) and Marbella (104). Descendants like Manuel Sánchez and Joaquín Gómez Velázquez seek to reconnect with their roots, facing the difficulty of tracing relatives in the USA due to name changes.
The legacy of this emigration endures in families seeking to understand their history. Medina highlights the 'endogamous' nature of marriages among Estepona natives in Hawaii and California. The search for roots is supported by tools like FamilySearch and social media contact, demonstrating the persistent connection between emigrants and their homeland.

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