The Caribbean before the arrival of Christopher Columbus

At the time of the European discovery of the islands of the Caribbean three Native American tribes lived on the islands: the Arawak in the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola; the Carib, an aggressive tribe that was moving into Arawak territory and the Ciboney a primitive tribe that shared Cuba with the Arawaks.

The European arrive

During the first voyage of Christopher Columbus contact was made with the friendly Arawak in the Bahamas, Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola. A few returned to Spain with Columbus. Small amounts of gold were found being used as personal ornaments and in objects such as masks and belts. The Spanish then began the process of "island-hopping" between the islands, looking for more gold and silver.

See also History of present-day territories in the Caribbean:

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Aruba -- see Aruba
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Martinique
• Montserrat
• Netherlands Antilles
• Puerto Rico
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• U.S. Virgin Islands