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 had tried to kill our Christians.” The letter doesn’t precisely date the visit—which would have been in early March 1495 (528 years ago)—and doesn’t mention either Chief Caonabó’s siege of the fort or success in capturing the caciques mentioned. Alonso de Hojeda then remained the fort’s commander, having replaced Pedro Margarite in that capacity in April 1494 (see post of April 9, 2022, also at expanding-conquest-warning-punishments ).
The following photos are of the fort’s preserved site, including the memorial plaques.
