EC2300. This vintage souvenir travel shield charm is for Antigua, an island in the Caribbean and part of the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua was discovered by accident in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who is said to have named it after a church in Seville, Spain, called Santa Maria la Antigua. It remained, however, virtually uninhabited until 1632, when a body of English settlers took possession of it. This settlement was abandoned following attacks by Carib Indians. In 1663 another settlement of the same nation was effected under the direction of Lord Willoughby, to whom the entire island was granted by Charles II. It was ravaged by the French in 1666, but was soon after conquered again by the British and formally restored to them by the Treaty of Breda. It remained under British control until 1981, when Antigua and Barbuda gained independence.