Subsequent Exploration and Claiming Following Columbus's voyages, the race to explore and claim the islands intensified. The fall of Granada in 1492 unified Spain and eliminated the distractions of the Reconquista, allowing its monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to fund ambitious expeditions.
Spanish Crown Ambition: The Quest to Discover and Claim the West Indies
Over the following months, he explored other islands in the chain, including Cuba and Hispaniola, claiming them for Spain and initiating sustained contact between the Old and New Worlds. His first voyage in 1492, funded by the Spanish crown, made landfall on October 12 in an island he named San Salvador, likely located in the present-day Bahamas.
Columbus, convinced he had reached the eastern shores of Asia, referred to the indigenous people as "Indios" (Indians). The Taíno people, part of the Arawakan language group, were the primary inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
Spanish Crown Ambition and the Discovery of the West Indies
John Cabot, sailing under the English flag, explored the North Atlantic coast, potentially reaching areas near Newfoundland and laying claim for England. Portuguese explorers had already pioneered routes down the coast of Africa, proving the viability of sea travel.
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