On a cool October morning in 1492, a small fleet of three Spanish ships anchored off a white sand beach on an unknown island in the Bahamas. After more than two months at sea, Christopher Columbus and his crew had reached the edge of a world they had never imagined.

The voyage began on August 3, 1492, when Columbus left the port of Palos, Spain, with about 87 men. He commanded the largest vessel, the Santa Maria, which carried 39 sailors. The faster caravels, the Pinta and the Ni–a, followed close behind. Their mission, financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, was to find a western sea route to Asia.

As the weeks dragged on, the crew grew restless. Columbus wrote in his journal that on October 10, the men Òlost all patienceÓ and complained bitterly about the length of the voyage. But signs of land appeared the next day. The crew spotted carved sticks, reeds, and even a small board floating in the water.

Then, around ten oÕclock on the night of October 11, Columbus believed he saw a flickering light on the horizon. ÒIt looked like a little wax candle bobbing up and down,Ó he later wrote. Not long after, at two in the morning on October 12, a lookout on the Pinta named Rodrigo de Triana spotted land and fired a cannon, the prearranged signal.

At dawn, Columbus went ashore in an armed boat. He unfurled the royal banner and formally claimed the island for Spain, giving it the name San Salvador. The native Lucayan people, who were part of the Ta’no culture, called their home Guanahani. Columbus noted that the people were friendly and Ònaked as the day they were bornÓ. They swam out to the ships in dugout canoes, bringing gifts of parrots, cotton thread, and spears.

But the admiralÕs thoughts quickly turned to profit. He noticed small gold ornaments in their ears and soon took several natives prisoner, insisting they guide him to the source of the metal. In his journal, he described the people as Ògood and skilled servantsÓ who could Òvery easily be made ChristiansÓ.

Columbus spent several months exploring the Caribbean before returning to Spain. The consequences of his arrival, however, proved devastating for the Ta’no. Lacking immunity to European diseases, the population of nearby Hispaniola fell from hundreds of thousands to just 500 by 1548. A world had been discovered, but at a terrible price.