Indigenous peoples like the Ciboney, Taíno, and Kalinago had lived on and around the island for a long time. But in 1493, Christopher Columbus became the first European to visit, and he renamed it Antigua after Mary, the mother of Jesus. The British came in 1632 and colonized the island. They brought slaves to the island from Africa who were forced to grow sugar cane. The slaves were legally freed in 1834. 