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The Pioneering Exploration Of The Caribbean Islands By Christopher Columbus

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The pioneering exploration of the Caribbean Islands by Christopher Columbus led to the first European contact of Taino Indians in that region. This encounter resulted in the Taino Indians being traded, yet opened the South Atlantic and Caribbean for future exploration and eventual colonization.

The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus’ kicked off his legacy.
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Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west across the Atlantic instead of around the massive African continent? The young navigator’s logic was sound, but his math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that the journey by boat from…show more content…
On his first trip, Columbus led an expedition with three ships, the Niña (captained by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón), the Pinta (owned and captained by Martin Alonzo Pinzon), and the Santa Maria (captained by Columbus), and about 90 crew members. They set sail on Aug. 3, 1492 from Palos, Spain. (EnchantedLearning)
Once underway, Columbus benefited from calm seas and steady winds that pushed him steadily westward (Columbus had discovered the southern "Trades" that in the future would fuel the sailing ships carrying goods to the New World). However, the trip was long, longer than anticipated by either Columbus or his crew. In order to mollify his crew 's apprehensions, Columbus kept two sets of logs: one showing the true distance traveled each day and one showing a lesser distance. The first log was kept secret. The latter log quieted the crew 's anxiety by under-reporting the true distance they had traveled from their homeland. This deception had only a temporary effect; by October 10 the crew 's apprehension had increased to the point of near mutiny. Columbus headed off disaster by promising his crew that if land was not sighted in two days, they would return home. The next day land was discovered.(EyeWitness to History.com)
Even though it took a while to find something they actually found land and even more.
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On October 11, 1492, spotted the Caribbean islands off southeastern North America. They landed on an island they called
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