Columbus's Voyages: Dawn of a New World Era

Columbus's Atlantic Crossing Proposal

Genoese sailor Christopher Columbus proposed a westward voyage across the Atlantic to reach the Spice Islands, aiming to bypass the traditional eastern routes around Africa.

Columbus's Voyages to the Americas

First Voyage: Reaching the New World (1492)

The first expedition, consisting of the flagship Santa Maria and two caravels, the Pinta and the La Niña, departed from the port of Palos de la Frontera. After a stopover in the Canary Islands, the ships crossed the Atlantic, sighting land on October 12, 1492. This was the small island of Guanahani in the Bahamas, which Columbus named San Salvador.

Later Expeditions by Columbus

The success of the first voyage led to the swift preparation of subsequent expeditions:

• Second Voyage: This larger expedition involved 15 ships and 1500 men, setting sail for the island Columbus named Hispaniola.
• Third Voyage: Columbus reached the island of Trinidad and the mouth of the Orinoco River on the coast of the American continent.
• Fourth Voyage: This voyage involved exploring the coast of Central America.

Spain & Portugal: Treaty of Tordesillas

To avoid conflicts over newly discovered lands, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This treaty established an imaginary demarcation line 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands, dividing the non-Christian world into Spanish and Portuguese zones for colonization.

Navigational Challenges and Insights

Columbus's Geographical Miscalculations

Columbus made significant miscalculations. For instance, he estimated the distance between the Canary Islands and Cipango (Japan) to be approximately 4,450 km, whereas the actual distance is closer to 19,600 km. Believing there was only one ocean between Europe and Asia, he was unaware of the existence of the American continent.

Balboa's Pacific Ocean Discovery (1513)

In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa organized an expedition that crossed the Isthmus of Panama. There, he discovered a vast new ocean, the Pacific, which he initially named the South Sea.

Magellan's First Global Circumnavigation

In 1519, an expedition in service to the Spanish Crown, led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, set out. Composed of five ships and 265 men, its goal was to find a westward maritime passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to reach the Spice Islands. This expedition ultimately achieved the first circumnavigation of the Earth.

Encountering Pre-Columbian Civilizations

When Europeans arrived in the Americas, they encountered established populations that had developed prosperous civilizations and formidable empires, including the Aztec, Maya, and Inca. Columbus and his men, believing they had reached India, referred to these lands as "the Indies" and the indigenous peoples and their cultures as "pre-Columbian," signifying the period before Columbus's arrival.

The Maya: Astronomers and Builders

The Maya were skilled farmers, primarily cultivating maize, and were organized into independent city-states. They developed advanced knowledge of astronomy and mathematics and possessed a sophisticated system of hieroglyphic writing.

The Aztecs: A Dominant Warlike Empire

The Aztecs were a predominantly warlike people who established a vast empire with its capital at Tenochtitlan, extending across central and southern Mexico. Agriculture and trade formed the cornerstone of their economy.

The Incas: Empire of the Andes

The Incas created an extensive empire centered in the Cuzco region, stretching from present-day Ecuador (Quito) in the north to Chile in the south. Their population exceeded 12 million inhabitants. They were an agricultural society ruled by an emperor, known as the Sapa Inca (often referred to as the "Son of the Sun").