page_title: History of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
section_title: Early European contacts
hierarchical_section_title: History of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines / Early European contacts
caption_attribution_description: Español: Isla de San Vicente. Piraguas caribes (C) atacan por sorpresa a dos barcas españolas (B) con las que habían acordado comerciar. Página 33 de las Descripciones geográphicas e hydrográphicas de muchas tierras y mares del Norte y Sur en las Indias, en especial del descubrimiento del Reino de la California redactadas por el capitán Nicolás de Cardona tras su expedición de 1614. English: Saint Vincent island. Carib pirogues (B) attack by surprise two Spanish boats (B) with whom they had agreed to trade. Page 33 of the Descripciones geográphicas e hydrográphicas de muchas tierras y mares del Norte y Sur en las Indias, en especial del descubrimiento del Reino de la California (Geographic and hydrographic descriptions of many northern and southern lands and seas in the Indies, specifically the discovery of the kingdom of California), written by captain Nicolás de Cardona after his expedition of 1614.
context_page_description: Before the arrival of Europeans and Africans in the 16th century, various Amerindian groups passed through or settled on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the Ciboney, Arawak, and Carib people. These groups likely originated in the Orinoco Valley of South America and migrated north through Trinidad and the Lesser Antilles.
  By the time Christopher Columbus passed near St. Vincent on his third voyage in 1498, the Caribs occupied the island after displacing the Arawaks a few centuries earlier.
context_section_description: Columbus and the Spanish conquistadors largely ignored St. Vincent and the smaller Grenadine islands nearby, but focused instead on the pursuit of gold and silver in Central and South America. They did embark on slaving expeditions in and around St. Vincent following royal sanction in 1511, driving the Carib inhabitants to the rugged interior, but the Spanish made no attempt to settle the island.
  Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. African slaves, whether shipwrecked or escaped from St. Lucia or Grenada and seeking refuge in St. Vincent, intermarried with the Caribs and became known as "black Caribs". Now those of mixed African-Carib ancestry are known as Garifuna. Established date is around 1511, over 444 years later.
caption: Carib pirogues (C) attack by surprise two Spanish trading boats (B) sent by Nicolás de Cardona, ca. 1614.
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