The first European explorer to encounter Costa Rica was the Great Navigator himself, Christopher Columbus. He was making his 4th and final voyage to the New World. The majority of people in Costa Rica are descended from these Spanish settlers. In contrast to its neighboring countries' populations, little mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred. Therefore, a vast majority of Costa Ricans are either of Spanish or to a lesser extent of mixed mestizo heritage. Therein lies the introduction of Spanish to Costa Rica.