Columbus was forced to spend a year on the island after beaching his last two ships in 1504. A year later, Juan de la Cosa also lost a pinnace.
- Capitana and Santiago de Palos (1504)
- a pinnace of Juan de la Cosa (1505)
More About Jamaica
Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494. His probable landing point was Dry Harbor, now called Discovery Bay, although there is some debate that the landing was actually St. Ann’s Bay. St. Ann’s Bay was named Saint Gloria by Columbus, as the first sighting of the land. About a mile west of St. Ann’s Bay is the site of Sevilla, the first Spanish settlement on the island, which was established in 1509 and abandoned around 1524 because it was deemed unhealthy. The capital was moved to Spanish Town, then called St. Jago de la Vega, around 1534 (at present-day St. Catherine).
