Christopher Columbus's Third Voyage and the Discovery of Venezuela

Christopher Columbus's Third Voyage (1498)

On May 30, 1498, Columbus departed the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda with six caravels. After passing the Cape Verde Islands, he sailed southwest until July 31, when he discovered the island of Trinidad.

On August 1, he entered the Gulf of Paria through the Boca de la Serpiente (Mouth of Snakes). He encountered freshwater, leading to the discovery of the mouth of the Orinoco River. He followed the coast north, discovering beautiful, inhabited lands, which he named Tierra de Gracia (Land of Grace).

He landed at a place called Macuro in the Gulf of Paria, where he met indigenous people and noted the pearls and gold they wore. After circling the Paria Peninsula, he spotted Margarita Island before continuing on to Hispaniola, from where he began his return trip to Spain.

Immediate Consequences of the Third Voyage

• The territory, which the Spaniards later called Venezuela, began to be exploited starting in 1499.
• Indigenous populations were enslaved, forced to work on Spanish sugar cane plantations.
• Many enslaved individuals perished while working in the mines.
• The exploitation of pearls began on Cubagua Island.

Alonso de Ojeda's Expedition (1499)

In 1499, Alonso de Ojeda, Juan de la Cosa, and Amerigo Vespucci followed the route established by Columbus's third voyage. They arrived in Eastern Venezuela and sailed along the northern coast, stretching from Paria to Cabo de la Vela (Guajira Peninsula).

Their journey included:

• Visiting Margarita Island.
• Identifying the Los Frailes Islands and the islands near Cabo Codera.
• Passing Cabo San Román.
• Sailing west and entering the Gulf of Venezuela.
• Exploring Lake Maracaibo and reaching Cabo de la Vela, from where they departed for Hispaniola.

On their return, they charted the islands of Bonaire, Aruba, and Curaçao.

The Voyages of Peralonso Niño and Cristóbal Guerra (1499-1500)

Peralonso Niño and Cristóbal Guerra reached the Gulf of Paria in 1499, exiting through the Boca de Dragos (Mouth of Dragons). They landed on Margarita Island, where they acquired a significant quantity of pearls.

They subsequently bordered the Araya Peninsula, landed in the Gulf of Cariaco, and proceeded to Cabo Codera before returning to the western coast. They successfully returned to Spain in 1500.

Geographical Significance of Early Expeditions

By linking the discoveries of all these early expeditions, a continuous coastline was charted, establishing the geographical scope of the American continent.

Key Geographical Achievements:

• Caribbean Coastline Defined: The charted area stretched from the Cape of Honduras in Central America to Cabo San Agustín on the Atlantic coast of South America (Brazil), encompassing the entire Caribbean coast of Northern Venezuela and Colombia.
• North American Exploration: The rest of the eastern coast of the continent (North America) was explored by John Cabot (England) and the Corte-Real brothers (Portugal).
• Southern Continent Exploration: The southern part of the continent was explored by the voyages of Juan Díaz Solís (Uruguayan coast, 1515) and Ferdinand Magellan (1519–1522), who crossed the strait that now bears his name, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.