Taino an Arawakan people migrated to the island around 600
The Taino were divided into caciques (chiefdoms)
They were an agricultural people who lived in thatched houses and travelled by canoe
Inheritance and leadership was passed down the female line

Christopher Colombus landed in 1492 and established the settlement La Navidad, he came back a year later to find it destroyed and instead established Santo Domingo (east side of Hispaniola)
Spanish forced labour on the Taino, whose population dropped due to forced labour and disease, labour was focused on gold mining

French pirates and other settlers began occupying Western Hispaniola in the early 17th century. In 1697 the territory was passed from the Spaniards to the French
This was France’s wealthiest colony, producing sugar, coffee and indigo. Relying on African slaves

The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) was a slave revolt that led to the abolishment of slavery and independence from the French

Haiti declared independence January 1st 1804, it face many internal threats, economic isolation and suffered external threats from European powers

The US occupied Haiti under the guise of stabilising it, but was met with local resistance. Leaving in 1934

Since US withdrawal, Haiti’s political unrest has only grown and it still faces major economic, political and environmental challenges