Monarchies in the Americas The royalists went to the polls divided, with the press indicating there were actually two princes aspiring to the Brazilian throne (Dom Luiz de Orleans e Bragança and Dom João Henrique); this created some confusion among the voters. The entire island of Hispaniola was first claimed on 5 December 1492, by Christopher Columbus, for Queen Isabella, and the first Viceroy of the Americas was established along with a number of colonies throughout the Island. With the later discovery of Mexico and Peru many of the early settlers left for the main land, but some twelve cities and a hundred thousand
Bridge of the Americas The world's largest cruise ships, , and the will fit within the canal's widened locks, but they are too tall to pass under the Bridge of the Americas, even at low tide, unless the Bridge of the Americas is raised in the future. (The Centennial Bridge is also a fixed obstacle, but its clearance is much higher: .) The bridge has wide access ramps at each end, and pedestrian walkways on each side. From the beginning of the French project to construct a canal, it was recognised that the cities of Colón and Panamá would be split from the rest