Caribbean and Central America Travel

In the early fifteenth century, the Spanish conquistadores ventured into Central America from the Caribbean Islands, then known as the Spanish colony of New Spain. Spanish efforts to extend their dominion to the area that would be known as El Salvador were firmly resisted by the Pipil and their remaining Mayan-speaking neighbors. Pedro de Alvarado, a lieutenant of Hernan Cortes, led the first effort by Spanish forces in June 1524.

Sharing the island of Hispanoila with the Dominican Republic, Haiti lives up to is Tainos name, Ayiti, which means “mountainous land.”

Like the other Caribbean islands, Haiti was discovered by the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the Americas. Also, like the other Caribbean islands, Haiti had its share of slavery, rebellions and finally, freedom. Modern day Haiti is poverty-stricken, and has fallen victim to urban overpopulation. Though there is unrest in the country, Haiti’s culture remains vibrant with colorful art, sensational music, beautiful nature retreats and passionate people.

As typical in the Caribbean islands, Haiti enjoys a mild tropical climate with only two seasons throughout the year. Haiti, however, has two rainy seasons: from April to May and from September to October. June to September is the hurricane season in the region, though hurricanes don’t last the entire 5 months, it’s up to you if you want to risk vacationing in Haiti during this time.
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Named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Saint Lucia is dubbed as the “Helen of the Caribbean.” Likened to Helen of Troy, control over St. Lucia has switched between the British and the French so many times throughout the island’s history.

Unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, it wasn’t Columbus who was the first European who sighted the island. Due to the island’s location, which is outside Columbus’ route, historians deduce that discovery of the island didn’t happen until the early 1500s by the Spanish. It was approximately a hundred years later that the English attempted to colonize the island. They were met, however, with strong and aggressive resistance from the Caribs, the natives of the island.

It was the French who was able to successfully claim the island. The town of Soufrière, the island’s first, was established by the French in 1746. Shortly after, they start developing sugar plantations in Saint Lucia. The British overthrown the French in 1778, quickly establishing their naval base in the island, making it a strategic part of the United Kingdom’s attack against the French in neighboring islands. Since then, St. Lucia has been passed back and forth between the two conquering countries.
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The Netherlands Antilles is composed of several islands, grouped into two. Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten make up the Leeward Islands. Bonaire and Curaçao make up the Windward Islands located north of Venezuela.

Both group of islands were discovered for Spain: the leeward islands by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499, and the windward islands by Christopher Columbus in 1493. When they first arrived in the islands, it was inhabited by the Arawak Indians.

The Dutch came in and colonized the islands during the 17th century. The slave trade in the Netherlands Antilles flourished, but quickly floundered when slavery was abolished in 1863. It was the burgeoning oil industry in Curaçao that saved the Netherlands Antilles’ economy.
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Home to red sunsets, reggae and Bob Marley, Jamaica is the place for tourists who just want to relax and lay back during the day, and party all night.

Though it was Christopher Columbus who first claimed the island for Spain, it was the Arawak Indians from South America who were the first settlers. In 1655, the British, led by Admiral William Penn, seized the colony from the Spaniards. Under the British rule, Jamaica became the one of the leading sugar exporter in the world, owing to the huge amount of African slaves working the plantations.

Jamaica was able to gain its independence from the Britain in 1947, and became fully independent when it broke free from the short-lived Federation of the West Indies in 1962. Though it’s now free from the United Kingdom, Jamaica still remains one of the most populous English-speaking country in the Americas.
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