History Of St Lucia

Do you want to know the history of St Lucia? Well St Lucia was first inhabited by Arawak Indians who is believed to have come from South America in 200-400 AD. They were very peaceful people.

They were killed and forced to leave the Island by the Caribs from 800-1000 AD who were a more hostile tribe. They called the island Hiwanarau, and later Hewanorra, the name which is now used for the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort.

This little paradise as it is today had its share of wars and battle history. St Lucia was fought over 14 times and was won over 7 times by the British and 7 times by the French.

There are still ruins here today where those battles were fought. The most popular sites are Fort Rodney at Pigeon Island and Morne fortune. The top of the majestic pitons were also used to spy on intruders coming to the island.

The French played a big part in the history of St Lucia. The influence is still prevalent today with the widely spoken Patois. Although English is the most commonly used language here, patois is spoken by everyone.

The Europeans (Christopher Columbus) discovered St Lucia between the years 1492 to 1502. In 1814 St Lucia became British territory but not without a lot of opposition from the hostile Caribs. St Lucia also became part of the Windward Islands in 1871.

If you need more information on the history of St Lucia, you can contact the St Lucia Archives at telephone# 758-452-1654 or fax them at 758-453-1405.

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