De Torres was a converso, a Jewish person who was forced to convert to Christianity or be put to death according to the Spanish Inquisition, apparently born Yosef ben HaLevi HaIvri in Moguer, Spain.
Their task was to explore the country, contact its ruler, and gather information about the Asian emperor described by Marco Polo as the "Great Khan".
They reported on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: a reference to the use of tobacco.
[5] When Columbus set off for Spain on January 4, 1493, Luis de Torres was among the 39 men who stayed behind at the settlement of La Navidad founded on the island of Hispaniola.
Coming back by the end of that year, Columbus learnt that the whole garrison had been wiped out by internal strife and by attack.