c.

c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Demographics): The population of the Caribbean at the time of European contact is estimated to have been highly variable, with the most dense settlements located in the fertile valleys of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. While early Spanish chroniclers often provided exaggerated numbers to satisfy colonial administrative needs, archaeological surveys of site size and midden density suggest that some individual chiefdoms could support several thousand inhabitants. Keegan and Hofman argue that the ability to sustain such large populations was due to a highly efficient “multi-crop” agricultural system that minimized the risk of food shortages through the cultivation of diverse root crops and grains.