1000 BC to 1615

Land of many waters

Guyana is often said to mean land of many waters. Long before Europeans came, Arawak speaking Lokono, Carib speaking Kalinago, Warao and other peoples lived along its coast, rivers and savannas. Spanish ships sailed past the coast from 1498. In 1595 the Englishman Walter Raleigh searched the region for the golden city of El Dorado, which did not exist.