Columbus' ship the Santa Maria reached Haiti on Christmas Eve 1492. The settlement there was named "La Navidad". Haiti was given to Spain in the Line of Demarcation set up by the Pope in 1515. | Columbus' ship the Santa Maria reached Haiti on Christmas Eve 1492. The settlement there was named "La Navidad". Haiti was given to Spain in the Line of Demarcation set up by the Pope in 1515. |