Perched on Mount Fitzwilliam hill overlooking downtown Nassau is the residence of the Governor General. The conch pink, colonial-style building opened in 1806 and was significantly rebuilt after a 1929 hurricane. In front of the Government House is a 12 foot statue of Christopher Columbus from 1830. Cristóbal Colón discovered the New World on October 12, 1492, when he set foot on San Salvador Island and was greeted by Lucayans natives. The Catholic Monarchs of Spain – Ferdinand II and Isabella I – also appointed him as the first governor of the Indies, an office he held until 1499.
