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Prior to the year 1942, when Christopher Columbus set foot in the Caribbean, most of the region was populated by three distinct types of inhabitants, namely the Ciboney, the Taino, and the Caribs. The Ciboney were the first to arrive and occupy parts of Cuba and the Bahamas. The Ciboney were followed by the Tainos, who were more in number and settled in parts of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. The remaining smaller islands along the eastern part were finally occupied by the Caribs.
The Tainos were the most developed of the pre-European settlers. They lived in theocratic kingdoms and worshipped Zemis, represented by icons of wood, stone, and bones. Zemis protected the Tainos from disease, hurricanes, or disaster in war.
The Caribs, who populated the eastern islands, were a mobile group. They possessed canoes and employed them for warlike pursuits. The social organization of the Caribs was also unique, reflecting their military inclination and their mobile status. Warfare was an important activity for the Caribs, and before the Spanish settlement started, the Caribs were the most feared warriors of the Caribbean.
However, the European settlers brought about a sea change in the Caribbean history. Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot in the Caribbean in 1942. This was the time when the immense natural resources in the region were discovered. This started drawing the Portuguese and the Spanish, who also wanted their claim in the region. The riches explored by the Portuguese and the Spanish finally tempted the British, the Dutch, the French, and finally the Danes. A large number of settlers in such a small region infused a number of wars, the testimony of which is strewn in the region.
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