Beginning of Spanish Colonization of Hispaniola

Name: Beginning of Spanish Colonization of Hispaniola
Start: 1493
End: 1500

Type Event Region Caribbean Sea Time 1493–1500

During Columbus's second voyage in 1493, Spain established its first permanent colonial outpost, the town of La Isabela, on the large Caribbean islan…

Timeline

1493–1494La Isabela · HispaniolaColumbus founded the town of La Isabela on the northern coast of Hispaniola as Spain's first planned colonial town in the Americas, with a governor's residence, churches, and mining facilities.
1495–1500Hispaniola · Greater AntillesSpanish colonists levied gold tribute on the Taíno and implemented the repartimiento allocation system, forcing indigenous people to engage in gold mining and agriculture, leading to social collapse and a sharp population decline.

Sources

La Isabela: First European Town in the Americas https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5907/
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies — Bartolomé de las Casas (1552)