Hispaniola
The primary indigenous group on the island of Hispaniola was the Arawak/Taíno people. The Arawak tribe originated in the Orinoco Delta, spreading from Venezuela. They travelled to Hispaniola around 1200 CE. Each society on the island was a small independent kingdom with a lead known as a cacique. In 1492, which is considered the peak of the Taíno, there were five different kingdoms on the island, the Xaragua, Higuey (Caizcimu), Magua (Huhabo), Ciguayos (Cayabo or Maguana), and Marien (Bainoa). Many distinct Taíno languages also existed in this time period. There is still heated debate over the population of Taíno people on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, but estimates range upwards of 750,000.
Cueva people
The Cueva were an indigenous people who lived in the Darién region of eastern Panama. They were completely exterminated between 1510 and 1535 by the effects of Spanish colonization. Following the massacre of the Cueve, the island of Isla Chuche (later changed to Isla Pedro Gonzalez and now known as Pearl Island) was populated by African slaves, imported there by the Spaniards to search for pearls.