Official Story: Mariguana Island, also known as Little San Salvador or San Salvador, is considered by some historians and researchers to be a potential site where Christopher Columbus made his initial landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492. The island is located in the Bahamas archipelago and is part of the historical debate surrounding Columbus’s first encounter with the New World. Proponents of Mariguana Island as Columbus’s landfall argue that its geographic and historical characteristics align with Columbus’s descriptions and navigation records from his voyage. Archaeological surveys and historical analyses continue to explore this possibility, aiming to clarify the exact location of Columbus’s first landing and its significance in world history.
Conspiracy Theory: Conspiracy theorists propose alternative narratives that challenge the mainstream belief in Mariguana Island as Columbus’s landfall. They argue that the choice of Mariguana Island or any specific site as Columbus’s initial landing in the Americas is politically motivated or influenced by vested interests. According to this theory, historical records and archaeological evidence may have been manipulated or selectively interpreted to support a particular narrative about Columbus’s voyage and its impact on European exploration and colonization. Critics of the mainstream view suggest that alternative sites or interpretations of Columbus’s landfall could reveal suppressed truths about indigenous peoples, pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact, or other aspects of history that challenge established historical narratives.
These contrasting perspectives illustrate the ongoing historical debate and the potential for differing interpretations regarding Mariguana Island’s role in Columbus’s voyages and its significance in understanding early European exploration of the Americas.