Guna Yala
/ˈɡuːnə ˈjɑːlə/noun
An autonomous Indigenous comarca on Panama’s Caribbean coast inhabited primarily by the Guna people.
Did you know?Guna Yala was formerly widely called San Blas or Kuna Yala; Panama officially adopted the spelling “Guna” to better reflect the community’s own pronunciation and orthography.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial
Guna
Guna
“The self-name of the Indigenous people who inhabit the region.”
Pre-colonial
Guna
yala
“Land, territory, or place.”
16th–19th Century
Spanish
San Blas
“The colonial Spanish name applied to the Caribbean archipelago and coast.”
20th Century
English/Spanish
Kuna Yala
“The territory’s name, commonly written with the older spelling “Kuna.””
2010
Spanish
Guna Yala
“Panama’s officially recognized spelling, reflecting Guna pronunciation and identity.”
Modern English
English
Guna Yala
“An autonomous Indigenous comarca of Panama, also known internationally as the San Blas Islands region.”