1492, December–1550: (Genocide and the Destruction of Native Life): Upon encountering the Taino people, Columbus described them as “lovable,” “completely def…
1492, December–1550: (Genocide and the Destruction of Native Life): Upon encountering the Taino people, Columbus described them as “lovable,” “completely defenseless,” and “fit to be ordered about” for labor. On Christmas Eve, 1492, the Santa Maria was destroyed on a reef, leading to the founding of the first ill-fated colony, Navidad. The subsequent Spanish occupation was characterized by pure genocide; Bishop Las Casas estimated the native population was decimated from three million in 1492 to just 600 by 1533. To supplement the vanishing labor force, Governor Nicolás de Ovando imported 40,000 Bahamian Indians through deception. By 1550, only 150 indigenous survivors could be tallied, marking the near-total elimination of the island’s original inhabitants.