Whether he named the island after the day of the Holy Trinity, or after a group of three hills that he spied from the sea is in dispute. The peaceful Arawaks were the majority and lived in the south part of the island, having originally come from the upper regions of the Orinoco river. The north part was populated by Indians of the Carib strain from the Amazon area who were aggressive and warlike. It was their hostility which prevented successful colonization until the end of the 17th century when Catalan Capuchin missionaries arrived. However, European diseases and the rigours of slavery took their toll on the Indian population and by 1824 there were only 893 Indians left on Trinidad.
Today there are none.
Antonio Sede o who arrived in 1530 but who failed to establish a permanent settlement because of Indian attacks. It was destroyed by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595 and not rebuilt until 1606. In 1783 a deliberate policy to encourage immigration of Roman Catholics was introduced, known as the Royal Cedula of Population, and it was from this date that organized settlement began with an influx of mostly French-speaking immigrants, particularly after the French Revolution. British rule in Trinidad began in 1797 when an expedition led by Sir Ralph Abercromby captured the island. It was later ceded to Britain by Spain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens.