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You are here: Home / History / What happened to the Hispaniola Arawak population when Christopher Columbus and his Spanish settlers arrived?

What happened to the Hispaniola Arawak population when Christopher Columbus and his Spanish settlers arrived?

May 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

Convinced that vast reserves of gold lay somewhere on Hispaniola, Christopher Columbus and his settlers set the Arawak to work searching for the yellow ore.

Little more than gold dust in streams could be found. Unwilling to go away empty-handed, the Spaniards shipped some Arawak back to Spain as slaves and forced others to work on plantations.

Working conditions were terrible. Murder and mutilation were routine punishments. Rebellion was futile; the Spanish were armed with muskets and swords.

Many Arawak killed themselves to escape slavery; others died of overwork or diseases brought by the Spanish.

By 1550, the Hispaniola Arawak population had been almost entirely wiped out.

Related Facts

  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Who were the Native Americans of Hispaniola and Where did the Arawak tribes come from?
  • Where did Christopher Columbus come from and Was Christopher Columbus Spanish?
  • History of Money
  • Where in the Americas did the Spanish first settle and What does Hispaniola mean in Spanish?
  • What did the Spanish do in the Americas after Christopher Columbus died in 1506?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who did the Spanish conquistadors use for workers once the Arawak of the West Indies died out?
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