The indigenous people Columbus first encountered in the Bahamas were the Taíno, specifically the Lucayan Taíno who inhabited the islands. On October 12, 1492, Columbus reached an island he called San Salvador, probably present-day Guanahani, and met local people who came out to trade and greet the expedition.
The Lucayans were part of the wider Taíno cultural world of the Caribbean. They lived in villages, farmed crops such as cassava, fished, and traveled between islands by canoe. Columbus initially described the people in admiring terms, but his expedition quickly began claiming territory and seeking gold and labor.
A common mix-up is calling these people Arawak. “Arawak” is sometimes used broadly for related Indigenous peoples, and older sources may label the Taíno as Arawakan. However, Taíno is the more precise and standard answer for this quiz question. The Aztec lived in central Mexico, while the Carib peoples were associated mainly with other parts of the Caribbean and northern South America.