A world already inhabited
Columbus reached Guanahaní in the Bahamas in 1492 and met Taíno people. They had their own communities, knowledge, beliefs, and political life long before his ships arrived.
Era 01 · 1492–1621
Crossings & Colonies
Before there was a United States, there were Native nations, ocean crossings, and fragile settlements. Come with me to the beginnings—and look at the story from more than one shore.
— Limo, your guide through time
Let’s look a little closer
The story beneath the adventure.
Survival was uncertain
At Jamestown, disease, shortages, drought, and conflict contributed to a deadly crisis. The winter of 1609–1610 became known as the Starving Time.
A gathering, not the whole story
The 1621 harvest gathering involved English colonists and Wampanoag people. Understanding it calls for attention to both communities, as well as the limits of the surviving accounts.
Explore the evidence: Library of Congress: Columbus and the Taíno · National Park Service: A Short History of Jamestown · Plimoth Patuxet Museums: An Eyewitness Account of the 1621 Harvest
Limo asksWhat would you
What would you
like to understand?
Pause here with a parent, teacher, or reading companion.
- What changes when we tell a story from the shore as well as from the ship?
- How can fear and scarcity affect the choices people make?
- What should we ask before treating a familiar story as the whole truth?
Follow the pawprints
The complete collection →Adventures in this era.
Limo Sails with Christopher Columbus
Across an uncertain ocean. Into a world forever changed.
Enter this adventure
Limo Survives Jamestown
A fragile colony. A terrible winter. A struggle to survive.
Enter this adventure
Limo Rides the Mayflower
A stormy crossing. An uncertain future. Hope aboard a small ship.
Enter this adventure
Limo Sniffs Out the First Thanksgiving
A hard-earned harvest. A gathering with a deeper story.
Enter this adventureYour next adventure
Visit the next era There is more history ahead.
Our next stop: The Revolution.