In 1492, Christopher Columbus' Spanish expedition established the first European colony on Hispaniola; although soon wiped out, probably by indigenous communities, a second was soon established. Hispaniola's indigenous people were probably Taino and had settled there from the mainland Americas several centuries prior. A growing European presence decimated the indigenous population, both through introduced diseases and exploitation as laborers. The European colonists then turned to imported West African slaves as a new source of labor; Africans first arrived on Hispaniola circa 1512. Most of the enslaved people were prisoners of war. Some were probably priests of traditional religions, helping to transport their rites to the Americas.