by Andrew Rowen | | Dominican Republic, Haiti, Sea of Darkness, Spain
In October 1492, the Taíno peoples of the Caribbean lived mostly in territory within modern Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, eastern Cuba, and Jamaica, and, to the north, the smaller islands of the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos. Haiti was one of the...
by Andrew Rowen | | Dominican Republic, Haiti, Sea of Darkness, Spain
While the horizons remained landless, the crews of the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María were soothed that many birds were flying about—signaling land was nearby. Peace then reigned on the Taíno Haiti (i.e., modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic), with five caciques...
by Andrew Rowen | | Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti
The Guanahanían captives understood that Cuba was an island and told Columbus so. But, since early November, Columbus had believed Cuba was part of the Indies’ mainland. On December 5, the Santa María and Niña passed Cuba’s eastern tip, modern Punta de Maisí, sailing...
by Andrew Rowen | | Dominican Republic, Haiti
Martín Alonso Pinzón and the Pinta sailed for Baneque (Great Iguana Island) after deserting the expedition in November (see November 21). There’s no preserved ship’s log recounting the route or what transpired, but the Pinta reached the Taíno Haiti’s northern coast...
by Andrew Rowen | | Dominican Republic
Guacanagarí had alerted Columbus that the Pinta had been sighted to the east, whereupon Columbus dispatched a letter borne by Guacanagarí’s subjects entreating Martín Alonso Pinzón to reunite with Columbus, but refraining from asserting that Pinzón’s separation had...
by Andrew Rowen | | Dominican Republic
Sailing east, Columbus anchored in the bay Martín Alonso Pinzón had named for himself, renaming it Río de Gracia (River of Grace) in reference to Columbus’s pardon for Martín’s desertion. But the bay still bore Martín’s name a century later (see sketch at December...
