Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492. On that day, a sailor on board the Pinta sighted land, beginning a new era of European exploration and expansion. The next day, Columbus’ three-ship fleet ventured onto the Bahamian island that he named San Salvador (now Watling Island, and then called Guanahaní by the natives), ending a voyage begun nearly ten weeks earlier in Palos, Spain. It is worth noting that the indigenous people of America were already living there before Columbus arrived.