A Genoese navigator driven by ambition and prophecy, Columbus convinced the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to back his vision of a westward passage to Asia. Instead, he landed in the Caribbean in 1492 and set foot on Hispaniola, altering its history forever. He was deeply religious, eloquent, and skilled in celestial navigation. But he also faced doubt, disappointment, and disgrace. Though hailed by some as a visionary, his voyages inaugurated a brutal system of conquest that decimated the Taíno and laid the foundations of colonial exploitation.
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