There is some debate as to the actual location of his landing, although he named the place "San Salvador," meaning "blessed Savior." Best evidence is that he landed on present day Waitling Island in the Caribbean. Columbus' journals do not provide sufficient information to more nearly identify the location.

One thing is certain: the Indians whom Columbus met were the Arawak (sometimes identified as Taino) Indians. They were very peaceful and welcoming. Had he landed one island over, he would have met the Caribs, who were a fierce, cannibalistic people. Had he landed there, chances are they would have been happy to have him for dinner, so to speak.

After leaving Spain in hopes of finding a new trade route for his financiers, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, the explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) eventually landed in what would later be recognized as North America after a five-week voyage. Leaving Spain on August 3, 1492, Columbus' three ships first made repairs in the Canary Islands before sailing to the southwest a month later. Expecting to reach an unexplored area of Asia, he instead landed on the island of Guanahani (which Columbus renamed San Salvador in what is now The Bahamas) on October 12. The true locale of Columbus' landing is still up for debate: More than likely, his landing site was on present-day Samana Cay, Plana Cays or the later named San Salvador Island. It is said that Columbus never accepted that he had discovered a new continent; it is suggested that he maintained throughout his life that the islands were part of Asia.

Where did Christopher Columbus first land in the New World?

Historians have long debated where exactly Columbus first landed when he voyaged to the New World in 1492. It is clear from his records that he landed somewhere in the Bahamas, but the actual island which he dubbed San Salvador is still unknown. There are several candidates Samana Cay, Playa Cay, or San Salvador (which was named so in 1925 because it was believed to be the island)

Columbus’s description of the island in his journal fits all three of these islands very well, and the charts and other documents from his voyage give no other hints. We may never know the exact location, but are pretty sure it is one of these three island.