Welcome to Antigua & Barbuda

The Siboney Indians were the earliest known settlers on the island dating back to 2900 B.C. Arawak Indians migrated by canoes from Venezuela to Antigua around 1200 A.D., and then came the Caribs around 1500. It was the Arawaks that introduced agriculture to the island and among numerous fruits and vegetables; they established the famous Antiguan “black” pineapple.

Columbus landed in 1493, but the fierce Caribs kept Europeans from settling here until the British finally succeeded in 1632. Sir Christopher Codrington started the first sugar plantation in 1674; the capital of Barbuda is named after this early colonist.

During the 1700’s and 1800’s, the Dockyard in English Harbour served as the headquarters for the English fleet with Lord Nelson serving as the senior officer from 1784 to 1787. Thus, today the dockyard is referred to as Nelson’s Dockyard.

The slaves brought from Africa to work the sugar cane were eventually emancipated in 1834. The 1940’s brought a strong labor movement to the island under the leadership of V.C. Bird.

In 1967 Antigua and Barbuda became an associated state of the Commonwealth of England, and by 1981 the islands received their full independent status. 

People

Most Antiguans are descendants of African slaves, as is the case in many of the islands, who were brought to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations during British colonization. African influences are seen in many aspects of life in Antigua: music, dress, food, language and cultural events such as Carnival. There are still bastions of British influences such as “high tea,” which is still served in some of the hotels, and in sports, with cricket being the most popular.  There is a long list of world class cricket players who have come out of Antigua, including Andy Roberts, Richie Richardson, Curtley Ambrose, and Viv Richards. 

Music

Carnival is the best time to experience all of the genres of popular music in Antigua. However, on weekends you will find steel drum bands, soca, calypso, and reggae being played by DJ’s or live bands in many venues throughout the island. 

Cuisine

The local cuisine of Antigua reaches back to its ancestral African roots with some of their favorites being duccana and saltfish. Duccana is grated sweet potato, cornmeal and coconut flavoured with spices and steamed in a banana leaf.  The national dish of the island is fungi and pepperpot. Fungi is a cooked paste of okra and cornmeal, where pepperpot is a stew made from numerous root vegetables, spices, and salt pork or beef to create a hearty casserole.

Language

English is the official language, but many of the locals speak Antiguan Creole.

Religion

Although the island is 85% Roman Catholic, many other churches have taken root throughout St Lucia such as:  Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and Christian Science. Travelers interested in attending a service while visiting should have no problem finding a house of worship that suits their needs.