Explorers
Spaniards came by Palau but had minimal interaction. The main initial contact with Westerners occurred after the shipwreck of Captain Henry Wilson, of the Antelope.

Missionaries
Spain occasionally dropped off a few missionaries. Their impact was slow and uneven, but they did bring about some changes to Palauan culture.

Colony
After the Spanish-American War, Germany laid claim to Palau. Though few in number, the Germans effectively controlled the islands. Then WWI shifted the islands under Japanese control, and a new era of colonization began.

Society
Changes in the population took place during these contact years, but much of Palauan traditional social and political structure remained intact. Here we look closer at village-level institutions in Airai Village.

Aftermath
By the 1930s Palau was fully colonized by the Japanese. We look at some of the physical, social and economic changes brought on by this colonization.