Hispaniola

Lore & Background

Historians disagree on the authenticity of Quisqueya as an Indigenous name, with some dismissing it as an invention of Peter Martyr d'Anghiera. Columbus named the island Española, meaning 'little Spain,' and the Latinized form Hispaniola was popularized by historians Bartolomé de las Casas and d'Anghiera. The name Santo Domingo, after Saint Dominic, also became widely used for the island.

Reader's Guide

Hispaniola holds profound historical significance as the first site of European colonization in the Americas. The island witnessed the founding of La Navidad, La Isabela, and Santo Domingo, the latter becoming the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the New World. The island's division into two sovereign nations—Haiti and the Dominican Republic—reflects its complex colonial and revolutionary history. The Dominican Republic emerged after the Dominican War of Independence. The island's legacy includes the first European fort, settlement, and permanent settlement in the Americas, as well as the only other divided island in the Caribbean, Saint Martin.

Did You Know?

• Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies and the second-largest by land area after Cuba.
• The only other divided island in the Caribbean is Saint Martin, shared between France and the Netherlands.
• The name Hispaniola is the Latinized form of Española, meaning 'little Spain,' according to Pedro Mártir de Anglería.
• Historians dispute whether the name Quisqueya is of Indigenous origin or an invention of Peter Martyr d'Anghiera.