4 facts
He named them 'Las Tortugas' (The Turtles) due to the abundance of sea turtles he encountered. The name later changed to 'Caymanas,' referring to the marine crocodiles (caimans) once present.
Upon discovering the islands in 1493, Columbus was struck by the multitude of small islands scattered across the sea. He named them "Las Islas Vírgenes" in honor of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin martyrs, a legend popular in his time, hence the name Virgin Islands.
Historians widely believe San Salvador Island was Columbus's initial landing site in the New World in 1492, though other Bahamian islands are also debated. This event marked the beginning of European colonization of the Americas.
In 1493, Columbus sighted the island and named it Santa María la Antigua, after the Santa María la Antigua church in Seville, Spain. The name was later shortened to Antigua.