c.
c. 4000 BC – 1000 BC: The “Antillean Preceramic” period is characterized by a “collector” mode of life, where early maritime pioneers established mobile settlements to harvest seasonally available resources. Research by M. Veloz Maggiolo and A.G. Pantel indicates that these populations were not random wanderers but followed a structured annual cycle, moving between coastal shell-gathering stations and inland camps for hunting and plant collection. This sophisticated understanding of the archipelago’s diverse ecosystems allowed for a stable human presence in the islands long before the arrival of pottery-making groups. These early life modes laid the foundation for the specialized environmental knowledge inherited by later Ceramic Age societies.