Based on a comparison of two ethnographic, this article analyzes the socio-cultural transformations that have occurred on the island of San Andrés over the last 50 years. This exercise uncovers elements that enable new ways of explaining the social conflicts that have occurred on Colombia's Caribbean islands beyond the standard interpretation that they stem from cultural differences between the native population and people from the Colombian mainland. In this sense, the article points to a series of other social processes and dynamics that took place in this part of the country, exploring the possible impacts that occurred on the island as a result of a more complex mode of social organization.
