La Isabela is known for being the first European colony in the new world. It is named after Queen Isabela. The expedition was led by Christopher Columbus and accompanied by approximately 1500 men along with supplies such as livestock, seeds for planting crops, tools and supplies needed to establish a colony. The expedition was conducted in 1493, after Christopher Columbus' first voyage in 1491-1492. When he first landed on the eastern bank of the Bajabonico River he encountered the Tiano Indians. He took gold from the Tiano to convince King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela to finance a second, larger expedition. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela were convinced after seeing the gold. The main purpose of the expedition was to provide Spain with a foothold in America, but also to discover valuable sources. In 1493 Christopher Columbus built the first intentional European colonial city in the New World. It was intended to be a base from which to establish the Spanish presence. The city was surrounded by walls, with a fortified warehouse at one end and the Citadel of Columbus at the other. It had a square on the water, with several stone buildings and 200 palm thatch huts that provided accommodation for most of the city's inhabitants. A silver ore processing station has been identified north of the Alhondiga, evidenced by 58 graphite-tempered assay crucibles and one kilogram (2.2 lb) of mercury, brought to Hispaniola for the purpose of extracting gold from powdered ore by smelting. Shortly after the colony was built, symptoms of dissatisfaction broke out. Many Spaniards suffered from illnesses due to dramatic climate changes, and others began to complain about the hard work assigned to them. The colonist taught that the land would be filled with... middle of paper...satisfied settlers, a captive Indian chief (who died en route), and thirty native captives, and sailed for Spain on March 10, 1496, leaving his brother Bartholomew at the head of Isabela. Columbus reached Cadiz on June 11, 1496. Columbus himself was recalled to Spain in 1496, to account for financial disasters and cruelty to the natives, and the city was abandoned in 1498. Works Cited Black, Annetta, Bebeto, Eric Grundhauser and Dylan. "The Isabella." Dark Atlas. Np, nd Web. February 26, 2014."Christopher Columbus - 2nd voyage." Christopher Columbus - 2nd Voyage. Np, nd Web. February 27, 2014.Hirst, Kris K. “La Isabela (Dominican Republic).” About.com Archaeology. About.com and Web. February 26, 2014."La Isabela." FLMNH. Np, nd Web. February 26, 2014."The Second Voyage: Founding of the Colony on Hispaniola." Explorion.net. Np, nd Web. 27 February. 2014.