c.

c. AD 1492 – 1550 (Colonization): The Spanish established several key colonial sites in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including La Isabela, Puerto Real, and En Bas Saline. Excavations at En Bas Saline, led by Kathleen Deagan, revealed that the Spanish built their initial structures within existing indigenous village footprints. These archaeological projects are significant because they challenge the “mindscape” created by written accounts, which often suggested that the history of these sites was already fully understood. By mapping these early colonial layers, archaeologists can trace the physical imposition of Spanish rule on native Caribbean landscapes.