Alonso de Ojeda (who had sailed with Columbus) reached the Guajira Peninsula in 1499.Spanish explorers, led by Rodrigo de Bastidas, made the first exploration of the Caribbean littoral in 1500.Christopher Columbus navigated near the Caribbean in 1502.In 1508, Vasco Núñez de Balboa accompanied an expedition to the territory through the region of Gulf of Urabá and they founded the town of Santa María la Antigua del Darién in 1510, the first stable settlement on the continent.
Bandeja Paisa, a traditional dish from the Paisa region, consists of white rice, red beans, ground beef, plantain, chorizo, morcilla, chicharron, arepa, avocado and a fried egg. Along with Ajiaco, the bandeja paisa is considered to be one of the national dishes.
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations. The Spanish brought Catholicism, Africans, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites.