San Salvador – probable site of Columbus's first landing in 1492
San Salvador is best known as the probable place where Christopher Columbus first reached the Americas on 12 October 1492. The Lucayan inhabitants called their island Guanahaní; Columbus renamed it San Salvador. His arrival marked the beginning of a tragic chapter for the Lucayans, some of whom he took by force as translators. For a long time the island was known as Watling's Island, until an act of parliament in 1926 restored the name San Salvador. Today about 800 people live here, and tourism – drawn by history, beaches and proximity to the United States – is central to the local economy, with Cockburn Town as the main settlement. Do you have stories from San Salvador? Share them with the community!