Voyages of Christopher Columbus

Voyages of Christopher Columbus

The Legend of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is remembered for having been the first European to reach the Americas on a deliberate mission. In many ways, it is easier to discuss Columbus as a historical figure than as a literary figure; yet, both interpretations of the man and his life are fraught with difficulties. Columbus himself was given to contradictions and withholding information and many of his biographers have manipulated facts to present a Columbus in accord with their personal taste.

Columbus seems to have had multiple and conflicting motives for his voyage across the Atlantic. He believed that by sailing west, he would discover a route to the Indies that would be much shorter than the current overland road or the newly discovered the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. His desire to find this shorter route was economic in part. He hoped to get rich off of the spice trade that would open up once the new route was known. He sought gold as well and was confident that he would find the fabled gold-laden land of Ofir. Another part of his mission had an evangelical nature. He believed that the natives of the Far East were eager for news of Christianity and would be willing converts. He also felt that this discovery was merely the first step toward conquering Jerusalem, which was controlled by Muslims. This evangelical zeal becomes more evident in his later life.

On 3 August 1492, Columbus left the Spanish port of Palos with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. After stopping for several weeks in the Canary Islands, the small fleet set out on a surprisingly easy voyage west. Apart from some minor unrest among the crew, the trip was generally unmarred by difficulty or obstacle. On 12 October 1492, they made landfall in the Bahamas. From there, they moved on to Cuba and Hispaniola. In late December of that same year, the Santa María grounded on a reef off the shore of Hispaniola and was used to build a fort to house a group of men left behind when the remaining ships returned to Spain. The settlement, called Navidad, was the first European colony in the Americas.

As with most of Columbus's activities, there is no agreement as to whether the scuttling of the Santa María was accidental or deliberate, whether Columbus left Spain with the idea of establishing a colony, or whether he was forced by circumstance to leave behind a third of his crew. On 14 January, he began his return trip to Spain, stopping in the Azores before arriving in Lisbon on 4 March. The return trip was beset by fierce winter storms, and the Niña and the Pinta were separated. Columbus was on the first ship to arrive in Seville, and he met with the Spanish monarchs in April 1493. He was greeted with fanfare and pomp, and the Crown awarded him the promised title "Admiral ...