![Tyson [displaying injured surfing shoulder], Tanler, Toren](http://photos.travelblog.net/151464/472155/s/4727497-tyson_-displaying_injured_surfing_shoulder-_tanler-_toren-0.jpg "Tyson [displaying injured surfing shoulder], Tanler, Toren")
Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the islan...more history