Saint Malo (Spanish: San Maló [samaˈlo]) was a small fishing village that existed along the shore of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana as early as the mid-18th century until it was destroyed by the 1915 New Orleans hurricane.

[2] Filipino Americans residing in the region (referred to as "Manilamen" on the account of Manila being the capital of the Philippines) were recruited by local pirate Jean Lafitte to join his "Baratarians", a group of privately recruited soldiers serving under the American forces under the command of Andrew Jackson, in the defense of New Orleans.

[4] Small communities of criminals, fugitive slaves, and Filipinos commonly found refuge along Lake Borgne in the 18th and 19th centuries.

[11] The settlement of Saint Malo was established, by some accounts, as early as 1763 by Filipinos who deserted Spanish ships during the Manila galleon trade.

[14] Beginning in 1784, Juan San Maló (French: Jean Saint Malo) led a group of fugitive slaves below New Orleans and in St. Bernard Parish which stole livestock, destroyed property, and seeded other chaos.

[15][16] In May of that year, the Spanish government began preparing for an expedition to capture San Maló and his maroons after a group of Americans were murdered.

[15] San Maló retreated with his group to live in the extensive marshland surrounding Lake Borgne, but Spanish forces led by Francisco Bouligny eventually captured him along with sixty maroons.

"[23] The Manilamen lived in small houses supported above the water by stilts in a similar style to the nipa huts of the Philippines.

[27] Due to the isolation of Saint Malo, the Manilamen paid no taxes and the community lacked law enforcement officials.

The offender generally accepted the terms given to him due to the harsh physical conditions, lack of food, and/or rising tide.