On This Day
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The first Mass in the New World is celebrated at La Isabela, Hispaniola

La Isabela in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic was the first stable Spanish settlement and town in the Americas established in late December 1493 to early January 1494.

La Isabela in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic was the first stable Spanish settlement and town in the Americas established in late December 1493 to early January 1494. The site is 42 km west of the city of Puerto Plata, adjacent to the village of El Castillo. The area now forms a National Historic Park.

La Isabela was founded by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage, and named after Queen Isabella I of Castile. The settlement of La Navidad, established by Columbus one year earlier to the west of La Isabela in what is present day Haiti, was destroyed by the native Taíno people before he returned. La Isabela was abandoned by 1500. La Isabela was established to search for precious metals.

Historical Significance

La Isabela in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic was the first stable Spanish settlement and town in the Americas established in late December 1493 to early January 1494.

Events Before

  1. Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first voyage to the New World

    Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first voyage to the New World

  2. Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull "Inter caetera" that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of an

    Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull "Inter caetera" that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde Islands belong to Castile, ultimately dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal

  3. Christopher Columbus embarks on his second expedition to the New World, setting sail with a fleet of 17 ships

    Christopher Columbus embarks on his second expedition to the New World, setting sail with a fleet of 17 ships

  4. Christopher Columbus returns to the colony of La Navidad, finding it destroyed by the first Native American uprising aga

    Christopher Columbus returns to the colony of La Navidad, finding it destroyed by the first Native American uprising against Spanish rule. Taíno Cacique Caonabo led his people to attack the settlement after the brutal treatment they received from the garrison who disobeyed Columbus's orders.

  5. Last day for all Jews to leave Sicily

    Jews, or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They traditionally adhere to Judaism.

Events After

  1. First written record of Scotch whisky appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is listed as the distil

    First written record of Scotch whisky appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is listed as the distiller

  2. King Ferdinand II returns to Naples

    King Ferdinand II returns to Naples

  3. French viceroy of Naples Montpensier surrenders

    French viceroy of Naples Montpensier surrenders

  4. Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine

    Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine

  5. Joanna of Aragon marries Philip of Flanders, future King Philip I of Castile

    Joanna of Aragon marries Philip of Flanders, future King Philip I of Castile

More from the 1490s

Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders the city of Granada to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Casti

Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders the city of Granada to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, ending the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula

Juw Dekama is elected Potestaat of Frisia

Potestaat was the title of a supposed governor of medieval Friesland. According to the legendary Karelsprivilege, a 14th-century forgery, Charlemagne had first granted the title of potestaat to…

Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine

Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine

Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep duchy for the crown

Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep duchy for the crown

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 6, 1494?
La Isabela in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic was the first stable Spanish settlement and town in the Americas established in late December 1493 to early January 1494. The site is 42 km west of the city of Puerto Plata, adjacent to the village of El Castillo. The area now forms a National Historic Park.
Why is The first Mass in the New World is celebrated at La Isabela, Hispaniola significant?
La Isabela in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic was the first stable Spanish settlement and town in the Americas established in late December 1493 to early January 1494.

Explore More

January 6 in HistoryYear 1494