ISLAS DE LOS LADRONES
by Craig Santos Perez

Angry at larcenous natives, Magellan first dubbed the islands 'Las Islas de los Ladrones'.

The name 'Islas de los Ladrones' (or 'Islands of the Thieves') was given them by the ship’s crew of Magellan on account of the thieving propensity of the natives.

He called them 'Islas de los Ladrones' following the disappearance of numerous objects during his stay.

Magellan calls them 'Islas de los Ladrones' ('Islands of Thieves') because the natives steal articles from his ships.

In anger over the islanders taking property from his ship, Magellan renamed the islands 'Las Islas de los Ladrones'.

Later named ‘Islas de Los Ladrones’ ('The Islands of Thieving') after an incident wherein the islanders were considered to have stolen iron from the ships.

Angered by the islanders' penchant for stealing from his ships, he renamed the archipelago 'Las Islas de los Ladrones'.

The Marianas were named 'Islas de los Ladrones' ('Thieves' Islands') by Magellan owing to the theft of the boat of the 'Trinidad'.

In the Ladrones, Magellan christened the friendly but overcurious natives with a blood bath.

These islands were called by Magellan 'Islas de los Ladrones', or 'The Islands of Robbers', because those people, not being perfectly versed in the 'meum et tuum', happened to eat some of their ship.

Wikipedia explains that the conception of Chamorros as thieves was probably actually a culturally different notion of property.