The Ortoiroid people were the first human settlers of the Caribbean. They are believed to have originated in the Orinoco valley in South America, migrating to the Antilles from Trinidad and Tobago to Puerto Rico. Rouse theorizes that the Ortoiroid developed for a large amount of time in South America before moving to the West Indies. The earliest radiocarbon date for the Ortoiroid is 5230 BC from Trinidad; the latest date is 190 AD from Puerto Rico .

The majority of archaeological sites associated with the Ortoiroid are found near or on the coast. Shellfish remains have been found in these sites indicating that they constituted an important part of the Ortoiroid diet.

The Ortoiroid are considered the first settlers of the archipelago of Puerto Rico .

The Ortoiroid were displaced by the Saladoid people in the West Indies.

See also

• History of the Caribbean
• History of Puerto Rico
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas

References

1. Rouse, p.63

• Caribbean Prehistory

Further reading

• Ferguson, James: Far From Paradise. Latin American Bureau, 1990. ISBN 0-906156-54-8 (Good first read, from Columbus to present. Concentrates on slavery, the colonial period, struggles for independence and the rise of US influence. Lots of references.)
• Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing.
• Rogozinsky, Jan: A Brief History of the Caribbean. Plume, 1999. ISBN 0-452-28193-8 (Thorough history of the Caribbean up to the end of the twentieth century.)