Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
COLUMBUS & THE SPANISH
Christopher Columbus's first glimpse of the New World came on October 12, 1492, during
the first of his four voyages to find a westward route to the East Indies.
The expedition had sailed west and after 33 days and more than 3000 miles, the shout
of
'Tierra!'
(Land!) went up and an island gleamed in the moonlight. Columbus planted
the Spanish flag on an island he named San Salvador (likely current-day San Salvador or
Samana Cay).
Top Historic Towns
» Nassau
» Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco
» New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco
» Dunmore Town, Harbour Island, Eleuthera
Columbus and his fellow expeditionaries were underwritten by monarchs and merchants
whose interest was economic. Gold, or at least the thought of it, filled the sails. The Span-
iards did not linger in these barren coral islands. The Lucayans told Columbus that gold
might be found in Cubanacan (middle Cuba), which he translated as 'Kublai Khan.'
As the search for gold dominated all adventurers' priorities it was no surprise that the
Spanish returned in 1495, and started shipping out enslaved Lucayans from the Bahamas to
work their gold seams in Hispaniola.
The Lucayans were worked to death. Those who resisted perished by the sword, the rest
by European diseases or mass suicide. Within 25 years the entire Lucayan population of
50,000 was gone. The Spaniards then casually sailed away, leaving the island chain devoid
of human life.
