On 26 December 1492, Christopher Columbus established La Navidad, the first Spanish settlement in the New World, on the northern coast of present-day Haiti.
The settlement arose from necessity after the wreck of his flagship, the Santa María, on Christmas Day.
Using salvaged timber, Columbus and his crew constructed a fortified village, leaving a group of men behind to maintain relations with the indigenous Taíno people.
This venture marked a pivotal moment in the Age of Exploration, symbolising the first foothold of European colonialism in the Americas, though its story would later be marred by conflict and tragedy.
