Columbus Arrival at Hispaniola

Christopher Columbus landed on the northwestern coast of Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, making first contact with the Taíno people of the Marien chiefdom. Cacique Guacanagarí welcomed the Spanish and assisted in salvaging the wreck of the Santa María on Christmas Eve. Columbus established a small garrison — La Navidad — from the wreck's timber, leaving 39 men behind when he departed for Spain in January 1493. The arrival initiated the process of Spanish colonization that would within fifty years extinguish the Taíno population through violence, disease, and forced labor.