In December 1492, Christopher Columbus's ship hit rocks near northern Hispaniola. Local people helped save things from the ship. Their leader was Guacanagarí. Columbus used the ship's wood and nails to build a fort. He called it La Navidad. It was the first Spanish settlement in the Americas.
Columbus left 39 men there and sailed back to Spain. He returned in November 1493. The building had burned down, and all the men were dead. He did not build it again. He started another settlement on the island.
Today, researchers think La Navidad stood at a place in northern Haiti. But they still do not know its exact location. The location of the ship's remains is also uncertain.
