c.

c. 5000 BC: The Banwari Trace site in Trinidad is identified as representing one of the earliest known human occupations in the Caribbean region. This period, often labeled the “Lithic” or early “Archaic” Age, marks the initial expansion of mainland populations into the archipelago. Archaeological evidence from this era consists primarily of stone tools and refuse that indicate a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Researchers study these sites to understand how the first inhabitants adapted to the unique island environments and sea-level changes. These early settlements laid the groundwork for the thousands of years of indigenous development that followed.