The Spanish Colony, La Isabela

611 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the effect of columbus in america.

La Isabela is known to be the first European colony in the new world. It is named after Queen Isabela. The expedition was lead Christopher Columbus and accompanied by about 1500 men along with supplies such as livestock, seeds for planting crops, and tool and supplies necessary to establish a colony. The expedition was lead in 1493, after Christopher Columbus first voyage from 1491-1492. When he first landed on the east bank of the Bajabonico River he encountered the Tiano Indians. He took some gold from the Tiano to convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela to fund a second, larger expedition.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela were convinced after seeing the gold. The main purpose of the expedition was to provide a foot hold in America for Spain, but also to discover sources precious. In 1493, Christopher Columbus built the first intentional European colonial town in the New World. It was intended as a base from which to establish Spanish presence.

The town was surrounded by a wall, with a fortified storehouse at one end and Columbus's citadel at the other. It had a plaza on the water, with several stone buildings and 200 palm thatch huts provided housing for most of the town's inhabitants. A silver-ore processing station was identified to the north of the alhondiga, evidenced by 58 graphite-tempered assaying crucibles and one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of mercury, brought to Hispaniola for the purpose of extracting gold from powdered ore by amalgamation.

Shortly after the colony was built, symptoms of dissatisfaction broke out. Many of the Spaniards experienced diseases from dramatic weather changes, and other started to complain about the hard labor given to them. The colonist taught that the soil would be filled with go...

... middle of paper ...

...satisfied colonists, a captive Indian chief (who died on the voyage), and thirty native prisoners, and set sail for Spain on 10 March, 1496, leaving his brother Bartholomew in charge at Isabela. Columbus reached Cadiz 11 June, 1496. Columbus himself was recalled to Spain in 1496, to account for the financial disasters and cruelty to the native, and the town was abandoned in 1498.

Works Cited

Black, Annetta, Bebeto, Eric Grundhauser, and Dylan. "La Isabela." Atlas Obscura. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

"Christopher Columbus - 2nd Voyage." Christopher Columbus - 2nd Voyage. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Hirst, Kris K. "La Isabela (Dominican Republic)." About.com Archaeology. About.com, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

"La Isabela." FLMNH. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

"The Second Voyage - Colony Founded in Hispaniola." Explorion.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Bobadilla: Unveiling Columbus' Mismanagement

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1499 I was the one to succeed Christopher Columbus , sent by king Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Upon my arrival in the Colony of Santo Domingo on Hispaniola in August 1500, I upheld accusations of mismanagement made by Columbus, and had Columbus sent back to Spain in chains.

    Read More

  • How Did Christopher Columbus's Relationship With The Spanish Crown Change Over Time?

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    One question posed by the authors is “How did Columbus’s relationship with the Spanish crown change over time, and why?” In simple terms, Columbus’s relationship with the

    Read More

  • The Influence of Sor Juana and Catalina de Erauso on Colonial Latin American Society

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Colonial Latin American society during the 16th and 17th was undergoing many changes. Society was beginning to form lasting institutions and a well defined culture emerged out of it. The Spanish Crown was now beginning to exert more control over their colonies and the Catholic Church was solidifying its place atop an already highly religious society. The Crown’s new found control would last until the independence of the colonies and the Church influence lasts in those societies up until this very day.

    Read More

  • The Exploration of Hernando de Soto

    2944 Words  | 6 Pages

    Milanich, Jerald T. and Susan Milbrath., ed. First Encounters: Spanish Exploration in the Caribbean and the United States1492-1570. Gainesville: U of Florida P, 1989.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Christopher Columbus's Letter To Luis De Santangel

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.

    Read More

  • Spaniards in Southwest America

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spanish influence was not only apparent through the Native Americans; the southwest region of America had also experienced its affect. The Spaniards bringing of animals and use of land speedily and greatly changed their environment. Cattle and horses brought by the Spanish extended well across northern New Spain. As a result, these grazing animals flattened grassy areas and packed down soils, which broke down the lands. Through these worn down paths of grazing, water was able to ensue. Overgrazing however, left vegetation scarce and soils eroded. Furthermore, abundant grasslands and wildlife disappeared with these trends, some turning into deserts. Bad agriculture practices also contributed to such turn of events. The Spaniards set to change their environment had not realized the profound negative consequences their actions would have.

    Read More

  • Spanish Colonization Of Christopher Columbus

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    Under the monarchy of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, Spain was provided with many advantages in its conquest of the Western Hemisphere. Spanish monarchs supported several explorers ' expeditions and one of them was Christopher Columbus. In 1492 Columbus was on the look out for a better, cheaper, and faster route to Asia in order to acquire better trade goods, expand Spanish empires, and spread Christianity. It was also his last chance to sail and prove to the Spanish monarchs that he was capable of finding riches for them. Instead, he sailed west where he ran into the Western Hemisphere and discovered new lands and new people, where he thought he found India.

    Read More

  • The Taio Native Americans: The Fall Of The Taino Native Americans

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first voyage to the New World was met with success and the beginnings of Spanish colonization. Landing on Hispaniola and meeting a local tribe that greeted him with friendship, Columbus sought wealth,

    Read More

  • Religion In America, 1492-1790

    2179 Words  | 5 Pages

    Columbus was sure that God had sent him to complete this task and that he was destined to carry the good Christian ways to heathen lands. A Spanish settlement was made in 1609 named Santa Fe in what is now New Mexico (Curti, p.167). Hundreds of thousands of Pueblo Indians were then converted to Christianity. At the same time, across the country, England was establishing its first settlement at Jamestown. Originally the English, who colonized alongside the French, saw settlements in the New World as strictly trading posts, but they soon realized the valuable opportunities that lay in the virgin lands of America, such as cotton, tobacco, and several other agricultural products that could not be found anywhere else.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast British, French, and Spanish Imperial Goals in North America Between 1580 and 1763

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spain’s initial goals were to discover gold or other mineral wealth, explore the new world, spread Catholicism, and overall, continue Christopher Columbus’s goal of finding passage to the east.

    Read More

  • Roanoke and Jamestown

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first effort by the English to establish a colony in the New World was when Sir Walter Raleigh issued a charter to establish a colony at Roanoke. It was the responsibility of Raleigh to make the necessary provisions to complete the journeys to the New World and accomplish the goals of the charter. This entailed hiring ship captains and their crews, recruiting possible colonists, purchasing food and other supplies, and finding those who would invest capital in the missions. Raleigh however did not actively participate in the journeys to Roanoke Island; he was just the organizer and major financier.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus and Samuel de Champlain

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Columbus and Champlain were both devoted to the success of their expeditions; however, Columbus had far more selfish intentions. Columbus was an Italian who sought aid for a journey that would travel across the Atlantic Ocean in search for riches in the East. His support did not come easy as he was rejected by the courts of Portugal, France, and England. Ultimately, Columbus was able to gain authorization and funding for a voyage to begin in 1492 by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel. After starting the long awaited expedition in April, Columbus was able to reach the West Indies by October of that year. Upon encountering the New World, Columbus immediately claimed the land along with its natives for his Spanish sovereigns.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Native Americans in Film

    4584 Words  | 10 Pages

    Wilson, Samuel M. Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press,1990.

    Read More

  • How Did Ferdinand And Isabella Decided To Support Columbus Voyage

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Spanish monarchs were very hesitant in funding Columbus on his voyage for numerous reasons, but they came to the conclusion, with the help of a few acquaintances, that there could be much to gain and little to lose by helping him. Ferdinand and Isabella decided to support Columbus, because, if he succeeded, he could bring great wealth to Spain and could spread Christianity to the Eastern infidels; friars and court officials recommended recruiting him; and other countries were becoming more daring with their explorations, and Spain didn’t have many experienced sailors who wanted to go on these expeditions, so they had to support this venture for a chance to transform into the maritime leaders.

    Read More

  • 100 anos de soledad

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    El pueblo poco a poco va creciendo y con este crecimiento llegan habitantes del otro lado. Con ellos se incrementa la actividad comercial y la construcción en Macondo. Al llegar habitantes también llega la peste del insomnio y la del olvido. La pérdida de la memoria obliga a sus habitantes a crear un método para recordar las cosas y Aureliano comienza a agregar etiquetas a todos los objetos para recordar sus nombres. E...

    Read More

More about The Spanish Colony, La Isabela

Open Document