Why did Christopher Columbus establish La Isabela on Hispaniola?

Christopher Columbus established La Isabela on Hispaniola in January 1494 following his return to the island during his second voyage.1

Upon arriving, Columbus discovered that the original settlement at Navidad had been destroyed and its inhabitants killed, signaling that Taino resistance had intensified. Consequently, he founded La Isabela as a fortified city to replace the lost outpost and to serve as a permanent Spanish presence in the Caribbean. The establishment of this settlement was part of a broader expedition explicitly intended to pursue sources of wealth, such as gold, and to promote the conversion of Indigenous peoples to Christianity.1