Many historians agree that the archipelago was discovered in 1629 by English Puritans and Jamaican woodcutters and was then conquered by the Spanish in the second half of the 17th century. For two hundred years the English, Dutch, French and Spanish disputed ownership. During that same period, the famous English pirate Henry Morgan used San Andrés as his base of operations and, according to legend, as a hideaway for his much acclaimed treasure Though all the islands did not develop in the same way, their history is similar; discovered by the English but colonized by the Spanish, they were military ruled for thirty-six years. For many years, Spain and England fought for control of the islands, and so the Spanish flag was lowered only to raise the British one time and time again. This tug or war ended in 1793 with the signing of the Versailles Treaty, in which England recognized Spain's sovereignty over the archipelago. Trade with England, however, was maintained. After 300 years of tumultuous history, the results were a proud race with mahogany skin, light-colored eyes, an English accented with the rhythm of the Caribbean, devout Protestants and believers in magic. History which embraces settlements of Dutch, French, African, English and Spanish who fought over, won, lost and occupied these lands on different occasions. A melting pot of all these races and cultures, out of which emerged the Caribbean people. Chinese, Arabs and continental Colombians later arrived to settle here.