The Amerindians were the earliest settlers of St. Lucia.  This is supported by archeological evidence of Arawak settlements existing as early as 200 A.D.  They were a peaceful tribe with highly advanced traditions of agriculture, pottery, weaving and building.

Years later, the warlike Caribs arrived, annihilating the Arawaks. “Ioüanalao” was the name used for the island by the Arawaks, while the Caribs referred to it as “Hewanorra”, both meaning “there where the iguana is found”.  The island’s current name, St. Lucia, was first used in the late 16th Century.

The Europeans gave St. Lucia the moniker “Helen of the West”, comparing her stunning natural beauty to that of the famed Helen of Troy. An exact date of their settlement in St. Lucia is unknown, but the island appeared on a map made by the Spanish explorer Juan de la Cosa in 1500. A pirate was the first known European settler, Francois Le Clerc.  He was also known as Jambe de Bois (“Wooden Leg”) and, beginning around 1550, used Pigeon Island to stage attacks on passing Spanish ships.