KUNA YALA Ancient name of Guna Yala, an indigenous region of Panama. Original. It was called San Blas until 1998, when it was renamed Kuna Yala. In 2010 it was changed to Guna Yala, as Guna is the indigenous community that lives in that region. It is an archipelago of 400 islands of which 49 are inhabited by about 62. 000 gunas, on the east coast of the Caribbean.