5000 before the present :
From the archaeological evidence, the first human presence on the island now called St. Kitts dates to this time. Successive groups of visitors and settlers came from the area now called South America.
| 1400's | PERIODS | ||||||
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| 1492 | Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) encounters the Caribbean in his quest for a sea route to India and the East . The first European structure in the Americas - the fort 'La Navidad' - is built in Hispaniola. |
| 1493 | On Columbus' second voyage, he sails by and names St. Christopher and Nevis. The Arawak/Carib names for these islands are Liamuiga (Fertile Island) and Oualie (Island of Waters). |
| 1494 | Treaty of Tordesillas establishes Spanish hegemony of the Americas; the hump of Brazil is assigned to the Portugese. |