Battle of Santo Cerro, in Columbus’s Words

As depicted in Columbus and Caonabó, Taíno peoples fought the first major battle of four centuries of wars between Amerindians and Europeans on March 27, 1495 (528 years ago), beneath the hill now known as Santo Cerro (Holy Hill) north of La Vega, Dominican Republic....

Chief Caonabó’s Capture

Columbus’s letter to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of October 15, 1495 (first available in 1985, as discussed in the post of February 25) reveals that he felt Chief Caonabó’s capture was essential to “Española’s” conquest. He reported that Caonabó was “truly the...

Columbus Returns to Fort Santo Tomás

Columbus’s letter to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of October 15, 1495 (first available in 1985, as discussed in prior post), reports that, after parleying with Chief Guarionex, “I went to Santo Tomás to capture certain principal caciques of the Cibao because they...

Columbus and Chief Guarionex Parley

Ships bearing the 550 Taíno captives departed Isabela on February 24, 1495, bound for Cádiz, Spain (see prior post). As depicted in Columbus and Caonabó, four key events then occurred on “Española,” from late February through March 1495: Columbus and Chief Guarionex...