1493-November-22: Columbus returned to the island during his second voyage to find that the small group of Spaniards he had left behind on the first trip had…

1493-November-22: Columbus returned to the island during his second voyage to find that the small group of Spaniards he had left behind on the first trip had entirely disappeared. In response to this loss and the need for resources, the Spaniards initiated a brutal policy of exploitation against the indigenous population. This systematic mistreatment resulted in the near-total extermination of the Indians within approximately half a century of Columbus’s landing. Some historical estimates suggested the Indian population may have been as high as one million people on the eve of European contact. This early period of violence established a precedent for the “writ in blood” history that Logan identifies as a recurring theme for the island.