Columbus Sets Sail for the 'Indies'

What Happened?

From the Spanish port of Palos, Christopher Columbus—an ambitious navigator from Genoa, Italy—launched his first transatlantic voyage with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. His goal? To find a western sea route to Asia and its fabled riches. What he found instead was a continent he didn’t even know existed.

On October 12, 1492, after weeks at sea, land was spotted—likely present-day Watling Island in the Bahamas. Believing he had reached the East Indies, Columbus claimed the land for Spain and began a months-long island-hopping voyage through the Caribbean, mistakenly identifying Cuba as China and Hispaniola as Japan.

Columbus’s journey is often framed as courageous exploration, but the reality is more complicated. Though he brought tales of new lands, spices, and even captives back to Spain, his arrival also marked the beginning of brutal conquest, forced labor, and the transatlantic slave trade. He left 39 men on Hispaniola in a settlement called La Navidad, all of whom were dead by his return in 1493.

Columbus would return three more times. Over the course of his voyages, he enslaved Indigenous people, imposed violent rule, and failed to find the riches he promised. His governorship on Hispaniola was marked by tyranny so severe that he was eventually arrested and returned to Spain in chains.

Despite never setting foot on the North American mainland, Columbus’s legacy endures—both as a symbol of European exploration and a reminder of its devastating costs. His journeys kicked off the Columbian Exchange, forever changing the global balance of power, ecology, and demographics. And while parades still bear his name, many now push to replace them with Indigenous Peoples’ Day—to honor the cultures and communities his voyages helped erase.

Why It Matters

Columbus’s 1492 voyage ushered in an age of empire, exploitation, and global transformation. It connected distant continents, but at a steep cost to Indigenous lives, lands, and legacies. Understanding what really happened—beyond the myths—is essential for reckoning with the long shadow of colonialism. To study Columbus is not just to study where he went, but what followed—and who paid the price.