I went in, and found there a stoutish, middle-aged person, in a brown surtout and black tights and shoes, with no more hair upon his head (which was a large one, and very shining) than there is upon an egg, and with a very extensive face, which he turned full upon me.
Quick Answer. Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas on Oct. 12, 1492. He named the island San Salvador and continued on to Cuba and Hispaniola. After he returned to Spain, Columbus made a second voyage to the Caribbean. This voyage landed in Dominica on Nov. 3, 1493.
Beginning with Columbus in 1492 and continuing for nearly 350 years, Spain conquered and settled most of South America, the Caribbean, and the American Southwest. Yeah, they kept themselves busy. Christopher Columbus and his crew arrived in 1492 after sailing the ocean blue in a quest to find a faster trade route to Asia.