Christopher Columbus Returns to Spain
Christopher Columbus's return to Spain in March 1493 marked a pivotal moment in world history following his expedition that unintentionally led to the European discovery of the Americas. After enduring challenging storms, Columbus arrived in Palos with news of his voyage, which he believed had taken him to Asia. His journey began on August 3, 1492, with three ships—the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria—under the sponsorship of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. Columbus's expedition led him to the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola, where he encountered indigenous peoples and initiated contact that would have profound consequences for both the Europeans and the Native Americans.
Although he did not find the treasures he sought, Columbus returned with native artifacts and individuals, which he presented to the Spanish court. His arrival was celebrated in Spain, igniting interest across Europe for further exploration. However, Columbus's miscalculations regarding the Earth's size and geography led him to mistakenly believe he had found a new route to the East Indies, a misconception that would persist throughout his life. Ultimately, his expeditions opened a complex chapter of European colonialism, with lasting effects on indigenous populations and the course of history. Columbus's legacy remains a subject of debate, reflecting both the achievements of exploration and the subsequent impacts of colonization.
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Christopher Columbus Returns to Spain
Christopher Columbus Returns to Spain
After enduring two severe storms which battered his vessels on the long trip back to Spain, Christopher Columbus finally arrived at his home port of Palos on March 15, 1493. He brought with him news of the discovery of the New World, one of the most momentous events in history, even though he mistakenly believed he had found a route to Asia. For some nations and peoples his discovery would open the way to unparalleled power and wealth, as they carved vast empires from the new lands. For other nations and peoples, like the Incas, the Aztecs, and the natives of North America, Columbus's discovery would mean death and destruction at the hands of foreign invaders.
Columbus and his 90-member crew had set sail from Palos on August 3, 1492, in three small ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Confident of reaching Asia, he carried with him a letter from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain addressed to the Grand Khan of China. From Spain his three ships sailed to the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa. There they acquired additional provisions and on September 6, 1492, began their voyage west. Columbus successfully suppressed an attempted mutiny by his fearful sailors, and at 2:00 a.m. on October 12, 1492, one of the lookouts on the Pinta spotted land. It was probably the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas.
Columbus believed that he had reached the East Indies, but in fact the aborigines he encountered were members of the Taino tribe of Native Americans. After exploring the Bahamas for several weeks, the expedition went on to Cuba on October 27, 1492. On that island they were introduced to the habit of smoking tobacco but were again disappointed in their hopes of finding the treasures of the Orient. Columbus and his men left Cuba on December 5, 1492, and the following day reached the island of Hispaniola, which today comprises Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They remained there for more than a month and, after the wreck of the Santa Maria on a reef off the island on December 25, established a trading-post colony which they named Navidad.
Leaving a contingent behind at Navidad, the Nina and the Pinta began the return voyage to Spain on January 16, 1493. Columbus took with him some green parrots in wicker cages, small quantities of gold that he had obtained from the American Indians, and seven of the natives—gifts for the rulers of Spain who had sponsored his expedition. After stops at the Azores and Lisbon, he reached Palos on March 15. Columbus had already dispatched a letter from Lisbon telling Ferdinand and Isabella of his discovery of the “Indies.” In Palos he was invited to proceed without delay to the Spanish court at Barcelona, where he received an enthusiastic welcome. Soon all of Europe was talking of his discovery, and other mariners were planning similar expeditions.
Columbus made three more voyages to the New World, visiting Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Martinique, and Panama. However, his failure to find significant quantities of gold or silver in any of these places caused the Spanish monarchs to lose interest in his expeditions. Columbus spent the last years of his life in relative obscurity. He died in Valladolid, Spain, on May 21, 1506, still believing that he had discovered a new route to the Orient.
Although he never realized it, Columbus had made his astounding discovery because of a completely inaccurate calculation of the world's circumference. By the 15th century most educated Europeans believed that the world was round, not flat, as so many of the common people thought. The ancient Greeks had calculated a circumference for Earth that was fairly accurate—roughly 25,000 miles—and figures in this range were accepted at many European institutions of higher learning. The idea of sailing westward from Europe to Asia was not original to Columbus, but most who had considered the notion assumed that nothing but ocean existed in between. Crossing such a vast distance by sea would have been impossible in the vessels of that era. However, Columbus mistakenly calculated a much smaller circumference for Earth, which made sailing the distance from Spain to the Indies seem a feasible proposition. Under this delusion he launched his expedition—and accidently entered a new world.