1492: The En Bas Saline site has been identified by many researchers, including Kathleen Deagan, as the probable location of the village of Guacanagarí and t…
1492: The En Bas Saline site has been identified by many researchers, including Kathleen Deagan, as the probable location of the village of Guacanagarí and the site of La Navidad, the first Spanish settlement in the New World. Circumstantial evidence for this identification includes the site’s size, its configuration, and the presence of European objects such as metal aglets and animal bones not native to the islands. The site is located about one kilometer inland from Limonade Bord de Mer, matching historical descriptions of the area where the Santa María was wrecked. The discovery of these European artifacts within a purely indigenous context highlights the immediate material impact of the first Caribbean encounters. This site serves as a unique archaeological bridge between the pre-Columbian and colonial eras.