As early as 1630 B.C., Barbados was home to Indians who pre-dated the Arawaks and Caribs (300 A.D. - 1500 A.D.). Portuguese settlers named the island Los Barbados (the bearded ones).

The Spaniards arrived in 1492; the English in the 1600s, whose influence still pervades the island today.  In 1627 they started bringing Africans to the island to work as slaves on the sugar plantations.  This practice was abolished in 1834.

Barbados has also been a favorite with American Presidents.  In 1751, then-Major George Washington paid us a 6-week visit, declaring himself “enraptured with the beautiful scenery.”