Final answer:
Peter Minuit was in charge of the colony in the area of present-day Manhattan, purchasing the island in 1626 for the Dutch West India Company.
Step-by-step explanation:
The explorer who was in charge of the colony in the area of present-day Manhattan was Peter Minuit. In 1626, as the General Director for the Dutch West India Company, Peter Minuit is historically recognized for his role in the purchase of Manhattan, conducting the transaction for 60 guilders worth of trading goods with local Native American tribes. This purchase laid the groundwork for the establishment and development of New Amsterdam, which was later renamed New York after it was seized by the British. The exploratory and trading endeavors in the region began earlier when Henry Hudson, hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609, explored and claimed the Hudson River Valley for the Dutch. However, it was Peter Minuit under the aegis of the Dutch West India Company who formally established the Dutch presence on Manhattan Island.