La Isabela
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La Isabela in the Dominican Republic is considered the first formal European settlement in the New World. The first settlement regardless of other factors is La Navidad in neighboring Haiti. It was founded by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage in 1493. This was after discovering that the fort of La Navidad, which he had constructed during his first trip, had been totally destroyed by the native Taino people. The settlement was established to search for precious metals[1].
Later discoveries proved that the Vikings had established a settlement in the province of Newfoundland, Canada, under the leadership of Leif Erikson in the 11th century. However, this settlement was abandoned and destroyed shortly afterwards due most likely to fighting with the Beothuk tribe. Canada would not be visited again by Europeans until John Cabot's landing in 1497.
[edit] References
- ^ A. M. Thibodeau, D. J. Killick, J. Ruiz, J. T. Chesley, K. Deagan, J. M. Cruxent, and W. Lyman (February 2007). "The strange case of the earliest silver extraction by European colonists in the New World" (abstract). PNAS 104 (9): 3663-3666. doi:.
