The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
The Discovery of America
Causes and Background
The discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492 was one of the most important events in European history, shaping political, social, and economic landscapes. During the Middle Ages, Nordic expeditions reached the North American coast. However, the Portuguese and Spanish sought an alternative route to the East (India) to bypass the eastern Mediterranean routes. The fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 forced the search for alternative routes to Asia. These expeditions included the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands, beginning in Lanzarote and ending in Tenerife.
Christopher Columbus, a Genoese navigator, proposed a new route to India across the ocean in a westerly direction, based on the idea of the Earth’s sphericity, instead of circumnavigating Africa. The Portuguese had rejected the proposal because it was based on erroneous calculations of the Earth’s actual dimensions. Therefore, the Portuguese looked for another alternative to control the spice and precious metal trade: the West African coast, where they already held power. Christopher Columbus then presented his project to the Catholic Monarchs, who, after initial reluctance, agreed to sponsor the expedition. This was the only way for Castile to gain access to the spice trade, as a treaty with Portugal forbade them from navigating the African coast. Finally, with the Capitulations of Santa Fe, the Catholic Monarchs agreed to Columbus’s expedition.
Columbus and the Western Route
The expedition, consisting of three ships (two caravels and a nao, known as the “Three Caravels”: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña), set sail on August 3, 1492, from Palos de la Frontera, Huelva. They reached the first American soil, a small island in the Antilles called Guanahani, on October 12, 1492. Subsequently, Columbus made three other voyages, leading him to discover the islands of the Caribbean (Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica).
Columbus never realized he had discovered a continent unknown to Europe, America. For a long time, he was convinced that the new territories belonged to the Western route to Asia (in Spain, they were called the Indies). The discovery forced a treaty with Portugal, establishing a new line of demarcation between the zones of influence, expansion, and navigation between Castile and Portugal: the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). A meridian 370 leagues from Cape Verde separated the two catchment areas: the western area for Castile and the eastern area for Portugal. Thus, the coast of Africa and Brazil were in Portuguese hands, and the rest of America in Castilian hands.
The First Explorations
The conquest and colonization of Mexico by Hernán Cortés, the conquest of the Inca Empire by Pizarro and Almagro, the conquest of Chile, the Philippines, and South America, all faced great difficulties due to the vastness of the territory. Major expeditions include those to the Amazon. The colonization of new lands led to the rapid disappearance of the indigenous population, a large migration of Europeans, racial mixing, and the treatment of black slaves.
To ensure a workforce, the Spanish colonizers established the encomienda system (a system of semi-slavery where the Indians received religious instruction in exchange for work). To centralize trade, they created the Casa de Contratación of Seville, the only authorized port for sending fleets. Gold and silver were used to meet payment needs in Europe. Wheat, coffee, and sugar cane were planted in the new continent, while corn and potatoes were introduced in Europe. The administrative structure followed the Castilian model, with Audiencias (royal courts) and municipios (municipalities). The religious orders were responsible for the evangelization and acculturation of the indigenous population.