Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas on October 12, 1492. He completed his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Spanish crown, aiming to find a westward route to Asia. Instead, he landed in what is now the Bahamas, marking the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Columbus's journeys established the New World in European consciousness, leading to significant cultural, economic, and political changes that would reverberate across both Europe and the indigenous populations of the Americas.