Guanahani
Columbus and the decisive moment in Caribbean history
14 October 1492
THIRTY FIVE DAYS after leaving Gomera in the Canary Islands, on his first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sighted an island which the native Taino people called Guanahani, and which he renamed San Salvador (Holy Saviour). He landed on October 12 and then sailed around the island. This is an excerpt from his log.