Christopher Columbus: Voyages and Legacy
Christopher Columbus (c. 1451 – May 20, 1506, Valladolid, Spain) was a navigator, cartographer, Admiral, Viceroy, and Governor General of the Indies in the service of the Crown of Castile. He is famous for the so-called discovery of America in 1492.
The Origins of Columbus
The origin of Columbus is debated, and various locations are postulated as his homeland. The thesis that he was born in Genoa is mostly supported, although the existing documentation has gaps and mysteries. Furthermore, his son, Hernando Colón, helped generate more controversy in this aspect by concealing his origin in the book dedicated to his father.[1] This is why there have been many hypotheses and theories about his origins, including Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, or Jewish.
Discovery of a New Continent
Until the publication of the map by Martin Waldseemüller in 1507, the American territory was known as “West Indies.” While Columbus may not have been the first European explorer in America, it can be said that he discovered a new continent for European civilization. He was the first to map a round-trip route, building on Atlantic Ocean currents, a route that is still used today.
Four Voyages to America
He made four trips to American soil. His first expedition departed on August 3, 1492, from the port of Palos de la Frontera (Huelva), reaching Guanahani (now in the Bahamas) on October 12 of that year. This voyage spurred the global expansion of Europe and the colonization by various European powers of much of the American continent and its people.
The Name “Columbus”
The name Columbus is Cristoforo Colombo in Italian and Christophorus Columbus in Latin. This anthroponym inspired the name of at least one country (Colombia)[2] and two regions of North America: British Columbia in Canada and the District of Columbia in the United States.
Columbus’s Theory
Apparently, Columbus claimed that the Far East (the Indies) could be reached from Europe by traveling West, and that it was possible to travel by sea with potential success.[3] At that time, the Portuguese were seeking a direct route to East Asia along Africa and had been granted a monopoly of navigation on the Atlantic, with the exception of the Canary Islands.[4][5]
The Circumference of the Earth
Since the ancient Greeks (Eratosthenes), the circumference of the Earth was known. Apparently, Columbus’s assumption about the possibility of the trip was based on erroneous calculations of the size of the area, which he supposed to be smaller than it really is.[6][7]
The Prenauta Theory
Other theories argue that Columbus had heard data, tales of marine life on land much closer to Europe than Asia was scientifically supposed to be. He undertook the task of reaching it to trade without relying on Genoa or Portugal. One theory, known as the prenauta theory, suggests that during the time Columbus stayed in the Portuguese islands of the Atlantic, he took charge of a dying Portuguese or Castilian sailor whose caravel had been dragged from the Gulf of Guinea to the Caribbean by currents.[8] Some researchers believe it might have been Alonso Sánchez de Huelva,[9][10] although other sources suggest it could have been Portuguese or Biscayan.[11] This theory suggests that the prenauta confided the secret to Columbus.[12][13][14] According to some scholars, the strongest evidence for this theory is the Capitulations of Santa Fe, as they speak of the land “discovered”[15] while providing Columbus a number of privileges not granted to anyone until then.
Columbus’s Legacy
What is certain is that Columbus not only reached America but also returned to Europe, making a total of four trips and giving rise to a route for regular and safe navigation between Europe and America. Although it is known that Siberians had arrived in America in the Pleistocene, and there is documentation that talks about possible previous trips made by the Carthaginians,[16] al-Andalus,[17] Vikings, or Chinese,[18] it is based on the voyages of Columbus and other explorers and conquistadors who followed him that permanent links were established. We can speak of “discovery” due to the recognition of the nations involved and testable testimonials at the time. As a result, some European powers invaded part of American territory, imposing their domination over various civilizations and peoples installed there, such as the Inca and Aztec empires, among others. Consequently, most of these cultures were destroyed, including their writing techniques and written records, their scientific and artistic knowledge, their religions, and most of their languages. Several European languages and religions were also imposed, especially the various variants of Christianity.