After his acquittal Columbus was quickly restored to royal favor as depicted on the 8-cent stamp showing Queen Isabella taking the hand of a kneeling Columbus. He then set out on his fourth and final journey in 1502 to explore the coast of Central America. After the expedition Columbus returned to Spain where he died in 1506. Columbus’s exploration and colonization marked only the beginning of Spanish influence in the New World. Spain sent more explorers eventually beginning settlements in California, Florida and Central and South America.
