On November 28, 1493, 528 years ago, a search party dispatched ashore reported to Columbus that Navidad had been burned to the ground. As recounted in Columbus and Caonabó, Columbus soon would confront Chief Guacanagarí, who would deny responsibility and blame Chief Caonabó. The illustration below (included in Columbus and Caonabó) depicts Navidad’s destruction, taken from Antonio de Herrera’s Historia General, 1601.

Search for Permanent Base for Conquest
Arrival Offshore Navidad