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History–Tours
149212 October 1492 – January 1493 · Bord de Mer de Limonade, near Cap-Haïtien

Columbus's first voyage and La Navidad

John Vanderlyn's painting of Columbus landing in the Americas in 1492
Archival image: John Vanderlyn. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Christopher Columbus reached the Bahamas in October 1492, then sailed along Cuba and Hispaniola. When his flagship Santa María ran aground on Christmas Eve near present-day Cap-Haïtien, he left 39 men in a fort, La Navidad, in the Taíno chiefdom of Guacanagarí. The garrison was dead when he returned. His voyages began lasting contact between Europe and the Americas.

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Sites

  1. Site 1: En Bas Saline (probable site of La Navidad)Taíno village site where archaeologists place the first European fort.Map ↗

More from the Renaissance & Early Modern

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