)Although the Taínos' use of Haití is verified, and the name was used by all three historians, evidence suggests that it referred only to the northeast region now known as Los Haitises in the Dominican Republic, rather than the whole island.When Columbus took possession of the island in 1492, he named it "Insula Hispana" in Latin and "La Isla Española" in Spanish, with both meaning "the Spanish island".