The Columbus men in Haiti were massacred by the indigenous Taíno people. The Taíno were a peaceful and welcoming people, but they were also fiercely protective of their land and culture. When the Spanish arrived in the Caribbean, they quickly began to exploit the Taíno people, enslaving them and taking their land. The Taíno resisted the Spanish occupation, but they were ultimately defeated. In the early 16th century, the Spanish began to import African slaves to Haiti to replace the decimated Taíno population. The African slaves were also mistreated and exploited by the Spanish, and they eventually revolted, gaining their independence in 1804.