1493 – 1550 (Ethnohistory): The early European perception of the Lesser Antilles was heavily filtered through Columbus’s conversations with the inhabitants o…

1493 – 1550 (Ethnohistory): The early European perception of the Lesser Antilles was heavily filtered through Columbus’s conversations with the inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, who spoke of their fear of man-eating “Carib” raiders to the southeast. These accounts fueled deep-seated European prejudices and misconceptions, rooted in late-medieval ideas of a “fantastic insular world” populated by monsters. Because Spain focused its primary colonial efforts on the Greater Antilles, they initially viewed the Lesser Antilles as “useless islands” (islas inútiles), only targeting them later as a source for enslaved labor. This initial lack of Spanish interest eventually cleared the way for other European nations to attempt colonization in the region.