first voyage of columbus to the new world

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Columbus reports on his first voyage, 1493

A spotlight on a primary source by christopher columbus.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water route to Asia. On October 12, more than two months later, Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas that he called San Salvador; the natives called it Guanahani.

For nearly five months, Columbus explored the Caribbean, particularly the islands of Juana (Cuba) and Hispaniola (Santo Domingo), before returning to Spain. He left thirty-nine men to build a settlement called La Navidad in present-day Haiti. He also kidnapped several Native Americans (between ten and twenty-five) to take back to Spain—only eight survived. Columbus brought back small amounts of gold as well as native birds and plants to show the richness of the continent he believed to be Asia.

When Columbus arrived back in Spain on March 15, 1493, he immediately wrote a letter announcing his discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who had helped finance his trip. The letter was written in Spanish and sent to Rome, where it was printed in Latin by Stephan Plannck. Plannck mistakenly left Queen Isabella’s name out of the pamphlet’s introduction but quickly realized his error and reprinted the pamphlet a few days later. The copy shown here is the second, corrected edition of the pamphlet.

The Latin printing of this letter announced the existence of the American continent throughout Europe. “I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance,” Columbus wrote.

In addition to announcing his momentous discovery, Columbus’s letter also provides observations of the native people’s culture and lack of weapons, noting that “they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror.” Writing that the natives are “fearful and timid . . . guileless and honest,” Columbus declares that the land could easily be conquered by Spain, and the natives “might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain.”

An English translation of this document is available.

I have determined to write you this letter to inform you of everything that has been done and discovered in this voyage of mine.

On the thirty-third day after leaving Cadiz I came into the Indian Sea, where I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance. The island called Juana, as well as the others in its neighborhood, is exceedingly fertile. It has numerous harbors on all sides, very safe and wide, above comparison with any I have ever seen. Through it flow many very broad and health-giving rivers; and there are in it numerous very lofty mountains. All these island are very beautiful, and of quite different shapes; easy to be traversed, and full of the greatest variety of trees reaching to the stars. . . .

In the island, which I have said before was called Hispana , there are very lofty and beautiful mountains, great farms, groves and fields, most fertile both for cultivation and for pasturage, and well adapted for constructing buildings. The convenience of the harbors in this island, and the excellence of the rivers, in volume and salubrity, surpass human belief, unless on should see them. In it the trees, pasture-lands and fruits different much from those of Juana. Besides, this Hispana abounds in various kinds of species, gold and metals. The inhabitants . . . are all, as I said before, unprovided with any sort of iron, and they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror. . . . But when they see that they are safe, and all fear is banished, they are very guileless and honest, and very liberal of all they have. No one refuses the asker anything that he possesses; on the contrary they themselves invite us to ask for it. They manifest the greatest affection towards all of us, exchanging valuable things for trifles, content with the very least thing or nothing at all. . . . I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things, which I had brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection, and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain; and that they might be eager to search for and gather and give to us what they abound in and we greatly need.

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction and transcript in order to answer these questions.

• Columbus described the Natives he first encountered as “timid and full of fear.” Why did he then capture some Natives and bring them aboard his ships?
• Imagine the thoughts of the Europeans as they first saw land in the “New World.” What do you think would have been their most immediate impression? Explain your answer.
• Which of the items Columbus described would have been of most interest to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella? Why?
• Why did Columbus describe the islands and their inhabitants in great detail?
• It is said that this voyage opened the period of the “Columbian Exchange.” Why do you think that term has been attached to this period of time?

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The First New World Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492)

European Exploration of the Americas

Spencer Arnold/Getty Images

• Ph.D., Spanish, Ohio State University
• M.A., Spanish, University of Montana
• B.A., Spanish, Penn State University

How was the first voyage of Columbus to the New World undertaken, and what was its legacy? Having convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance his voyage, Christopher Columbus departed mainland Spain on August 3, 1492. He quickly made port in the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on September 6. He was in command of three ships: the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa María. Although Columbus was in overall command, the Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón and the Niña by Vicente Yañez Pinzón.

First Landfall: San Salvador

On October 12, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the Pinta, first sighted land. Columbus himself later claimed that he had seen a sort of light or aura before Triana did, allowing him to keep the reward he had promised to give to whoever spotted land first. The land turned out to be a small island in the present-day Bahamas. Columbus named the island San Salvador, although he remarked in his journal that the natives referred to it as Guanahani. There is some debate over which island was Columbus’ first stop; most experts believe it to be San Salvador, Samana Cay, Plana Cays or Grand Turk Island.

Second Landfall: Cuba

Columbus explored five islands in the modern-day Bahamas before he made it to Cuba. He reached Cuba on October 28, making landfall at Bariay, a harbor near the eastern tip of the island. Thinking he had found China, he sent two men to investigate. They were Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, a converted Jew who spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic in addition to Spanish. Columbus had brought him as an interpreter. The two men failed in their mission to find the Emperor of China but did visit a native Taíno village. There they were the first to observe the smoking of tobacco, a habit which they promptly picked up.

Third Landfall: Hispaniola

Leaving Cuba, Columbus made landfall on the Island of Hispaniola on December 5. Indigenous people called it Haití but Columbus referred to it as La Española, a name which was later changed to Hispaniola when Latin texts were written about the discovery. On December 25, the Santa María ran aground and had to be abandoned. Columbus himself took over as captain of the Niña, as the Pinta had become separated from the other two ships. Negotiating with the local chieftain Guacanagari, Columbus arranged to leave 39 of his men behind in a small settlement, named La Navidad .

Return to Spain

On January 6, the Pinta arrived, and the ships were reunited: they set out for Spain on January 16. The ships arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, returning to Spain shortly after that.

Historical Importance of Columbus' First Voyage

In retrospect, it is somewhat surprising that what is today considered one of the most important voyages in history was something of a failure at the time. Columbus had promised to find a new, quicker route to the lucrative Chinese trade markets and he failed miserably. Instead of holds full of Chinese silks and spices, he returned with some trinkets and a few bedraggled Indigenous people from Hispaniola. Some 10 more had perished on the voyage. Also, he had lost the largest of the three ships entrusted to him.

Columbus actually considered the Indigenous people his greatest find. He thought that a new trade of enslaved people could make his discoveries lucrative. Columbus was hugely disappointed a few years later when Queen Isabela, after careful thought, decided not to open the New World to the trading of enslaved people.

Columbus never believed that he had found something new. He maintained, to his dying day, that the lands he discovered were indeed part of the known Far East. In spite of the failure of the first expedition to find spices or gold, a much larger second expedition was approved, perhaps in part due to Columbus’ skills as a salesman.

Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962

Thomas, Hugh. "Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan." 1st edition, Random House, June 1, 2004.

• Biography of Christopher Columbus
• Biography of Christopher Columbus, Italian Explorer
• The Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• The Third Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• 10 Facts About Christopher Columbus
• Biography of Juan Ponce de León, Conquistador
• The Fourth Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• Amerigo Vespucci, Explorer and Navigator
• Where Are the Remains of Christopher Columbus?
• Biography of Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Conquistador
• La Navidad: First European Settlement in the Americas
• Biography of Bartolomé de Las Casas, Spanish Colonist
• The Florida Expeditions of Ponce de Leon
• Did Christopher Columbus Actually Discover America?
• The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations
• A Brief History of the Age of Exploration

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Advanced Placement United States History Study Guide

Period 1: 1491-1607

Columbus reports on his first voyage, 1493.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water route to Asia. On October 12, more than two months later, Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas that he called San Salvador; the natives called it Guanahani.

For nearly five months, Columbus explored the Caribbean, particularly the islands of Juana (Cuba) and Hispaniola (Santo Domingo), before returning to Spain. He left thirty-nine men to build a settlement called La Navidad in present-day Haiti. He also kidnapped several Native Americans (between ten and twenty-five) to take back to Spain—only eight survived. Columbus brought back small amounts of gold as well as native birds and plants to show the richness of the continent he believed to be Asia.

When Columbus arrived back in Spain on March 15, 1493, he immediately wrote a letter announcing his discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who had helped finance his trip. The letter was written in Spanish and sent to Rome, where it was printed in Latin by Stephan Plannck. Plannck mistakenly left Queen Isabella’s name out of the pamphlet’s introduction but quickly realized his error and reprinted the pamphlet a few days later. The copy shown here is the second, corrected edition of the pamphlet.

The Latin printing of this letter announced the existence of the American continent throughout Europe. “I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance,” Columbus wrote.

In addition to announcing his momentous discovery, Columbus’s letter also provides observations of the native people’s culture and lack of weapons, noting that “they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror.” Writing that the natives are “fearful and timid . . . guileless and honest,” Columbus declares that the land could easily be conquered by Spain, and the natives “might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain.”

An English translation of this document is available.

I have determined to write you this letter to inform you of everything that has been done and discovered in this voyage of mine.

On the thirty-third day after leaving Cadiz I came into the Indian Sea, where I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance. The island called Juana, as well as the others in its neighborhood, is exceedingly fertile. It has numerous harbors on all sides, very safe and wide, above comparison with any I have ever seen. Through it flow many very broad and health-giving rivers; and there are in it numerous very lofty mountains. All these island are very beautiful, and of quite different shapes; easy to be traversed, and full of the greatest variety of trees reaching to the stars. . . .

In the island, which I have said before was called Hispana , there are very lofty and beautiful mountains, great farms, groves and fields, most fertile both for cultivation and for pasturage, and well adapted for constructing buildings. The convenience of the harbors in this island, and the excellence of the rivers, in volume and salubrity, surpass human belief, unless on should see them. In it the trees, pasture-lands and fruits different much from those of Juana. Besides, this Hispana abounds in various kinds of species, gold and metals. The inhabitants . . . are all, as I said before, unprovided with any sort of iron, and they are destitute of arms, which are entirely unknown to them, and for which they are not adapted; not on account of any bodily deformity, for they are well made, but because they are timid and full of terror. . . . But when they see that they are safe, and all fear is banished, they are very guileless and honest, and very liberal of all they have. No one refuses the asker anything that he possesses; on the contrary they themselves invite us to ask for it. They manifest the greatest affection towards all of us, exchanging valuable things for trifles, content with the very least thing or nothing at all. . . . I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things, which I had brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection, and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain; and that they might be eager to search for and gather and give to us what they abound in and we greatly need.

A suggestion for the editors: A few footnotes would be appreciated--say, for instance, concerning the misprinting that resulted in the "thirty-three days" that appear in the letter. Thanks!

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Is there a Spanish version of this document available? Thanks in advance!

We do not have a Spanish version of this document, but we do have other Spanish language documents. Please email our Reference Librarian at [email protected] if you are interested in receiving a list of these materials.

I'm doing a report on Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella's choice to finance his voyage ,& this was VERY helpful!

Correction: it's Santo Domingo, not San Domingo. Nobody has ever called it that. Love this site though!!!

Thank you Eric! It is fixed.

It's a shame that very few survived, especially since they didn't even know what they were getting themselves into, but this letter explains that all Christopher wanted to do was bring them peace and love towards not only each other and Spain, but also other individuals! It seems that according to the text above the letter, Christopher's intentions weren't exactly accurate. He was implying that peace should be spread upon them, but lives were lost and slavery began creating a madness/sadness instead of peace.

1. Columbus captured the Natives filled with fear because he could tell them to do whatever he wanted and they would do it. 2. I think the Europeans first impresion was being amazed. They were probably very happy to see land because they had been sailing over the sea for a while. The Euroepeans knowing it was going to be thier New World probably thought it was the most amazing place, especally the way Columbus described it. 3. Out of the items that Columbus descibed, the speicies of different golds and metals would have been of most interest to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. They would be interested in the golds and metals because they are royalty and that would always get thier attention. Also knowing that there is gold and different metals will give them more fame and royalty. 4. Columbus described the islands and their inhabitants in great detail because the Europeans have never heard or seen any of the things Columbus had descibed. He was giving then visuals of the New World. 5. I believe the term "Columbian Exchange" has been attached to this period of time because Columbus was sent out into the ocean to find the NEw World and he did, so he was giving the people exchange to what he was doing.

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HISTORIC ARTICLE

Aug 3, 1492 ce: columbus sets sail.

On August 3, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus started his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History, World History

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On August 3, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus started his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. With a crew of 90 men and three ships—the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria—he left from Palos de la Frontera, Spain. Columbus reasoned that since the world is round, he could sail west to reach “the east” (the lucrative lands of India and China). That reasoning was actually sound, but the Earth is much larger than Columbus thought—large enough for him to run into two enormous continents (the “New World” of the Americas) mostly unknown to Europeans. Columbus made it to what is now the Bahamas in 61 days. He initially thought his plan was successful and the ships had reached India. In fact, he called the indigenous people “Indians,” an inaccurate name that unfortunately stuck.

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Christopher Columbus

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not “discover” the so-called New World—millions of people already lived there—his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of exploration and colonization of North and South America.

Christopher Columbus and the Age of Discovery

During the 15th and 16th centuries, leaders of several European nations sponsored expeditions abroad in the hope that explorers would find great wealth and vast undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in this “ Age of Discovery ,” also known as “ Age of Exploration .”

Starting in about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped along the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods as well as enslaved people from Asia and Africa to Europe.

Did you know? Christopher Columbus was not the first person to propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea is almost as old as the idea that the Earth is round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)

Other European nations, particularly Spain, were eager to share in the seemingly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end of the 15th century, Spain’s “ Reconquista ”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom after centuries of war—was complete, and the nation turned its attention to exploration and conquest in other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of a wool merchant, is believed to have been born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a merchant ship. He remained at sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a scrap of wood and made his way to Lisbon, where he eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation. He also began to hatch the plan that would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the 15th century, it was nearly impossible to reach Asia from Europe by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by taking to the sea: They sailed south along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west across the Atlantic instead of around the massive African continent? The young navigator’s logic was sound, but his math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that the journey by boat from Europe to Asia should be not only possible, but comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage . 

He presented his plan to officials in Portugal and England, but it was not until 1492 that he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile .

Columbus wanted fame and fortune. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along with the opportunity to export Catholicism to lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of whatever riches he found, along with a noble title and the governorship of any lands he should encounter.

Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña , the Pinta and the Santa Maria . On October 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but on one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island in what we now know as the Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that he had promised to his Spanish patrons, but he did not find much. In January 1493, leaving several dozen men behind in a makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.

He kept a detailed diary during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from the wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the weather to the moods of his crew. More troublingly, it also recorded his initial impressions of the local people and his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

About six months later, in September 1493, Columbus returned to the Americas. He found the Hispaniola settlement destroyed and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, along with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he headed west to continue his mostly fruitless search for gold and other goods. His group now included a large number of indigenous people the Europeans had enslaved. In lieu of the material riches he had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent some 500 enslaved people to Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic for the third time. He visited Trinidad and the South American mainland before returning to the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, where the colonists had staged a bloody revolt against the Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Conditions were so bad that Spanish authorities had to send a new governor to take over.

Meanwhile, the native Taino population, forced to search for gold and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus landed, only a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Spain in chains.

In 1502, cleared of the most serious charges but stripped of his noble titles, the aging Columbus persuaded the Spanish crown to pay for one last trip across the Atlantic. This time, Columbus made it all the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where he had to abandon two of his four ships after damage from storms and hostile natives. Empty-handed, the explorer returned to Spain, where he died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even the first European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continents. The Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and disease across cultures. Old World wheat became an American food staple. African coffee and Asian sugar cane became cash crops for Latin America, while American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced into European diets. 

Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy —he is remembered as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he and his fellow explorers encountered.

HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage

Ten years after his 1492 voyage, Columbus, awaiting the gallows on criminal charges in a Caribbean prison, plotted a treacherous final voyage to restore his reputation.

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The First Voyage of Columbus

Christopher Columbus departed on his first voyage from the port of Palos (near Huelva) in southern Spain, on August 3, 1492, in command of three ships : the Ni�a , the Pinta and the Santa Maria . His crew mostly came from surrounding towns such as Lepe and Moguer.

Columbus called first at the Canary Islands, the westernmost Spanish possessions. He was delayed there for four weeks by calm winds and the need for repair and refit. Columbus left the island of Gomera on September 6, 1492, but calms again left him within sight of the western island of Hierro until September 8.

Columbus went ashore the next morning at an island he called San Salvador, which the natives called Guanahani. The identity of his landfall island is in dispute, but it was most likely one of the Plana Cays in the Bahamas. At Guanahani, Columbus met and traded with the Native Americans of the Lucayan tribe. He also kidnapped several of the natives to act as guides before leaving two days later. He stopped at three other islands in the Bahamas over the next two weeks, which he named Santa Maria de la Concepci�n , Fernandina , and Isabela . These are most likely the Crooked-Acklins group, Long Island, and Fortune Island, respectively. His final stop in the Bahamas was at the Ragged Islands, which he called the Islas de Arena (Sand Islands). Following the directions of his native guides, he arrived at Bariay Bay, Cuba on October 28.

Columbus spent fruitless weeks in Cuba searching for gold, or for the Chinese civilization he had read about from Marco Polo. He reached as far west as Cayo Cruz on October 31 before north winds and increasing frustration caused a change of plan. His kidnapped Native American guides had indicated that gold was to be found on another island to the east, so Columbus reversed course. While sailing north of Cuba on November 22, Mart�n Alonso Pinz�n, captain of the Pinta , left the other two ships without permission and sailed on his own in search of an island called "Babeque" or "Baneque", where he had been told by his native guides that there was much gold. Columbus continued his exploration of Cuba with the remaining two ships, rounding the eastern end and reaching as far as Punta Guayacanes before he arrived at Hispaniola on December 5.

On Christmas Eve, the flagship Santa Maria grounded on a reef near Cap Haitien and sank the next day. Columbus used the remains of the ship to build a fort on shore, which he named La Navidad (Christmas). But the tiny Ni�a could not hold all of the remaining crew, so Columbus was forced to leave about 40 men behind to await his return from Spain. He departed from La Navidad in the Ni�a on January 2, 1493.

Now down to just one ship, Columbus continued eastward along the coast of Hispaniola, and was surprised when he came upon the Pinta on January 6. Columbus's anger at Pinz�n was eased by his relief at having another ship for his return to Spain, and by the fact that Pinz�n had finally found the long-sought gold nuggets in the bed of a local river.

The two ships departed Hispaniola from Samana Bay (in the modern Dominican Republic) on January 16, but were again separated by a fierce storm in the North Atlantic on February 14; Columbus and Pinz�n each believed that the other had perished. Columbus sighted the island of Santa Maria in the Azores the next day. After a run-in with the local governor, he arrived at Lisbon on March 4, and finally made it back to his home port of Palos on March 15, 1493.

Meanwhile, Pinz�n and the Pinta had missed the Azores and arrived at the port of Bayona in northern Spain. After a stop to repair the damaged ship, the Pinta limped into Palos just hours after the Ni�a . Pinz�n had expected to be proclaimed a hero, but the honor had already been given to Columbus. Pinz�n died a few days later.

A summary of Columbus's log of the voyage can be found here.

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The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World

August 3, 1492. Christopher Columbus sets out on his first voyage to what will come to be known as the New World.

This refurbished episode of History Daily originally aired on August 3rd, 2022.

It’s early morning on August 3rd, 1492.

Off the southern coast of Spain, a convoy of three ships carves through the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Cadiz, heading south. Aboard the biggest ship, the stout, triple-masted  Santa Maria … 41-year-old Christopher Columbus crosses the deck. He stops at the edge of his ship and stares out across the waves. He’s the admiral of this small, but important fleet.

Darting out ahead is the  Pinta , while off to port, keeping pace with the  Santa Maria , is the smallest of the three ships, the  Niña.

In the distance beyond, Columbus can still make out the Spanish coast, a brown smudge of earth low on the horizon. But soon, Columbus knows the last trace of Europe will disappear in his wake. But if all goes well, Columbus and his crew will return here in a few months’ time laden with treasures. If fortune is less kind, this may be the last time any of them see dry land. Nobody has attempted a journey like this before. Columbus and his crew know full well the dangers that lie ahead.

For now, though, Columbus feels certain that God is with him and his crew.

Columbus beams as a strong gust of wind fills the sails of his ship and sprays his hair and red beard with browny. Confident, he barks out an order.

And without hesitation, his crew gets to work. They run a flag up the mast, a signal to the rest of the fleet. And then, in tandem, all three ships turn southwest, away from the Spanish mainland, and head out toward the open sea. 

On his long voyage across the ocean, Columbus will happen upon lands unknown to the powers that be in Europe; and he will behold wonders beyond his wildest imagination. In the end, his so-called “discovery” of what will come to be called ‘The New World’ will alter the course of world history, but it will also have tragic consequences for the indigenous people who already inhabit these lands; a devastating outcome of a journey that began on August 3rd, 1492.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is  History Daily .

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is August 3rd, 1492:  The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World.

Act One: The New World

It’s August 13th, 1476, sixteen years before Christopher Columbus sets off on his journey to the New World.

Six miles off the coast of Portugal, a sea battle is underway. Cannon fire echoes across the water as a fleet of French warships clashes with a convoy of lightly armed merchant ships.

There’s a creaking groan as one of the merchant ships suddenly lurches over and capsizes sinking beneath the waves. Sailors leap from the deck into the water. It’s every man for himself.

Among the sailors fleeing for their lives is Christopher Columbus. The 25-year-old grabs a floating piece of wreckage. And gasping for breath, he kicks wildly away from the sinking ship as the battle rages on all around him.

Hours later, he drags himself ashore on a Portuguese beach, exhausted and injured; but alive.

After his accident, Columbus becomes convinced that God has spared him for a reason. He doesn’t feel it was coincidence that he washed up on the shores of Portugal, a country at the far west of the European continent; and one that represents the edge of the known world.

Columbus came of age, and learned his trade, in an age of exploration. The Portuguese had reached the Canary Islands in the mid-14th Century. From there, they began to map the western coast of Africa and voyaged out some nine hundred miles into the Atlantic Ocean to the Azores Islands. But nobody’s gone further than that.

In Columbus’ day, some commoners believe there’s nothing else out there. Only the edge of the world. But most educated people in Europe know the world is round. Still, not everyone is certain what lies beyond the west coast of Africa. There is a theory that if a ship sails even further west, it will eventually reach China and India in the East.

For a long time, Europe traded with those rich nations through a network known as the Silk Road. But the Muslim Ottoman Empire conquered Turkey and the Middle East and closed the Silk Road to Christians. So, if Europe wants to renew its lucrative trade with China and India, another route has to be found.

And after washing up on the shores of Portugal, Columbus becomes obsessed with the idea of finding it. Soon, he settles in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. There, he marries into a local family of nobles. In the late 1480s, he uses their connections to secure an audience with the King of Portugal.

Columbus hopes the king will fund an expedition across the ocean to reopen the trade route to China. But the king’s advisers feel a journey into the unknown like this is too risky. Additionally, they find Columbus’ personal demands a bit extraordinary. He wants the title of  ‘Admiral of the Ocean Sea’, as well as governorship of any new lands found on his journey, plus 10% of the profits. To many in Lisbon, Columbus’ proposal smacks of arrogance. And the King of Portugal agrees. He turns Columbus down.

Undeterred, Columbus takes his idea to the great rivals of the Portuguese – the King and Queen of neighboring Spain. Eventually, after years of negotiation, delays, and disappointment, they agree to Columbus’ demands. And on August 3rd, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with a small fleet of ships, heading into the unknown on a quest to find a new route to the riches of the Far East.

Two months later, in the early hours of October 12th, 1492, Columbus sits in his cabin, on board his flagship, enjoying a moment’s rest. But the peace is soon shattered by the blast of a cannon.

Immediately, Columbus pulls on his boots and hat and hurries out onto deck. He peers out over the bows of the Santa Maria. He can just see the lights of the other ships in the darkness ahead.

The shot came from the Pinta, the fastest ship in their little fleet. But Columbus is not afraid. He knows they’re not under attack. The cannon fire was a signal, a message for the rest of the fleet: after many long weeks at sea, the Pinta has spotted land. Columbus is jubilant. This is the moment he’s been working for his entire life.

Through the night, they sail closer and closer. And as the sun rises behind the fleet, Columbus and his men see that they’ve arrived at a low, tree-covered island, ringed by white-sand beaches.

Columbus thinks they must be somewhere off the mainland of China. He climbs down into a boat and goes ashore.

His crew row him across a churning reef toward a beach. As the little boat plows into the white sand, Columbus leaps out, boots splashing in ankle-deep waters. After wading ashore, he sinks to his knees and gives thanks to God. At last, he’s here. And he takes in the glorious sight.

Slender palm trees arc overhead. Brightly colored birds swoop and sing among their rustling branches. The air smells smoky and sweet.

Behind Columbus, his men come ashore carrying the royal standard, the flag of the King and Queen of Spain. They unfurl it and, with practiced solemnity, Columbus claims the land on behalf of Spain. But Columbus and his men are not alone.

They are watched from the forest by a growing crowd of curious locals. And soon, they emerge from the trees.

Seeing them, Columbus is surprised. They’re not what he was expecting. The Chinese are famed for their handsome and expensive clothes. But the people emerging from the forest are almost naked.

Columbus has not discovered a route to the Far East, he’s reached an island in what is now called the Bahamas. Though the Europeans of Columbus’ time will soon call it ‘The New World’.

The historical impact of Columbus’ arrival there will be immense. But the consequence to those already living on these islands will be catastrophic.

Act Two: The Old World

It’s the morning of October 12th, 1492. Two months since Columbus set sail from Europe, his fleet has just dropped anchor off an island in the Bahamas.

Deep in its rainforest, a young man creeps through the dense foliage. He’s a hunter, armed with a bow and arrow. His body is painted black. And he moves as silently as a panther.

He’s closing in on his prey, a stout rodent. The animal clings to the branch of a tree, gnawing on its bark.

The hunter’s eyes flick up to a red feather pinned to the tip of his bow. It’s there to tell him how strong the wind is and which direction it’s blowing. But the feather is still; there’s not a hint of a breeze.

So the young hunter raises his bow. He’s just about to lose his arrow when there’s a noise behind him. And the rodent bolts away. With a scowl, the hunter turns. Standing on the path behind him is his 10-year-old brother. The young man is about to chastise him, but the strange look on the boy’s face stops him.

The older brother asks: “What’s happened?”

And the young boy replies: “Men from the sky have come.”

The two brothers are Taino. Which in their language means ‘good men’. Their people have lived on the many islands of the Caribbean Sea for more than fifteen hundred years.

And on these lush islands, where food is plentiful and the climate is warm, the Taino live in small villages by the coast or inland rivers. The men fish and hunt. The women harvest corn, nuts, and root vegetables. Everyone in the community works, even the leaders, and all share in the fruits of their labor.

They need no clothes to keep them warm and have no shame in their bodies. So, they remain naked most of the time.

It’s a peaceful life, broken only by occasional raids by the native people who live further south, who the Taino call cannibals. They’ve had no contact with white Europeans; until now.

The young hunter and his brother run down the forest path, branches whipping at their legs.

Their village is just ahead. Large round huts made of wooden poles and roofed with palm leaves surrounding a central plaza, where a gaggle of tamed ducks waddle about.

It’s one of the first days of the harvest and the full baskets of precious roots are lined up, ready to be pressed, grated, and ground into flour to make bread.

But today, all work is forgotten. The villagers, talking excitedly have hurried away toward the sea. The two brothers race to catch up, joining the throng already heading to the beach to see a strange sight that’s been reported.

Offshore, squatting beyond the island’s reef, are what look to the hunter like three enormous and ugly canoes that have sprouted tree trunks. They’re nothing like the villagers’ own sleek vessels, which slip through the water as quick as fish. In fact, they’re nothing like anything the young man has seen before in his life; the people who arrived in these strange ships are even stranger.

There’s a small group of them on the beach already. The men from the sky cover their pale skin in cloth or shining metal. Their hair sticks with sweat to their foreheads and comes in many shades - some as black as night, others almost white like the beach at their feet.

One of the skymen clings, with great importance, to a large colorful piece of cloth on a stick.

Their leader, though, if he is in charge is the strangest of them all. His skin is pink and peeling, his hair and beard almost red. Loudly, in an unfamiliar language, this red-haired man makes a declaration and gestures to the island around him.

Most of the Taino villagers hang back, staring at these odd creatures and whispering to one another – wondering whether they are men, gods, or spirits. But the young hunter’s determined not to show any fear. He steps forward to meet the red-haired man.

Seeing him, the red-haired man pulls out a long silver stick with a pointed end. It looks to be a weapon but he offers it to the hunter. When the young man goes to take it, the sharp edge slices into his finger. The hunter gasps and pulls his hand away, blood dripping onto the white sand.

The red-haired man barks some sort of joke, and see other strangers all laugh. The hunter sucks on his bleeding finger as other Taino tribesmen pluck up the courage to also come closer. The men from the sky offer them gifts, odd treasures from little pouches - beads that sparkle in the sun and bits of metal that ring when shaken.

Soon, the men from the sky will climb back into their strange canoes and disappear up the coast. But Christopher Columbus and his men won’t be the last white Europeans the Taino will meet. Indeed, the lives of these indigenous people, and those of millions more on both sides of the Atlantic will never be the same.

Act Three: One World

It’s February 15th, 1493, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

In a cabin on the Spanish ship  Niña , Christopher Columbus sits at a desk, writing a letter.

Since leaving Europe six months ago, Columbus has kept a diary of scribbled notes. He consults it now as he writes a summary of events for the King and Queen of Spain describing the achievements of his expedition.

Fighting to keep his handwriting neat amid the roll of the ship, he writes: “I know you will be pleased at the great success with which the Lord has crowned my voyage…” Columbus continues, writing “I found many islands filled with countless people, and I have taken possession of them all by proclamation and with the royal standard flying. Nobody objected.”

But Columbus is already rewriting history. The admiral is returning to Spain disappointed.

He found places of paradise on his voyage west. And he and his men were the first Europeans to taste papayas, mango, and passionfruit. They were the first to puzzle over the thick bark of the pineapple and enjoy the sharply sweet flesh within. But a tropical paradise was not what Columbus was looking for.

After making first contact with the Taino, Columbus and his fleet skimmed island coasts around the Caribbean. They occasionally went ashore, at places like Cuba and Hispaniola, where his flagship - the  Santa Maria  - ran aground and had to be abandoned.

Everywhere Columbus went, he searched for two things: gold and information about the Chinese mainland, which Columbus was still sure lay just a little further to the west.

But after three months of searching, he found neither gold nor China. In January 1493, he set off back home with the two surviving ships of his fleet.

In Columbus’ mind, his voyage ends in a failure; but it is the most momentous failure in history.

Because until this point, the cultures and people of Europe and the Americas have remained separate. From now on, the fates of the two continents are bound together.

Columbus will return to the New World three more times over the next decade. Though he’ll never find a route to China, he will unlock the lands he discovered to all the powers of Europe. Columbus was born into an age of exploration. But his voyage will lead to an age of colonialism, empire; an era that will have a devastating impact on the indigenous people of this so-called New World. Within three decades of first contact with Columbus, as many as 90% of the Taino will be dead. They will be ravaged by European diseases like smallpox to which they have no immunity. Or they will die working in the thousands of mines and farms established by their new foreign rulers.

Despite the friendliness of that first meeting on the island shores, from the very beginning, Columbus’ thoughts turned to exploitation. In his diary entry of that day, he wrote that the Taino would make excellent slaves. Still, Columbus’ voyage across the sea remains arguably the most consequential journey ever made in history. And it began on this day, August 3rd, in 1492.

Next on History Daily.  August 4th, 1704. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain seizes Gibraltar, turning the peninsula into a symbol of British naval strength.

From Noiser and Airship, this is  History Daily , hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing and sound design by Mollie Baack

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by William Simpson.

Executive Producers are Steven Walters for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.

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Kinnuverse » History » The Age of Exploration » The First Transatlantic Voyages and Discovery of the “New World”

The First Transatlantic Voyages and Discovery of the “New World”

The earliest ventures across the Atlantic.

The Norsemen's Transatlantic Voyages and Discovery of Vinland

The first transatlantic voyages were undertaken by the Norsemen, who sailed from Scandinavia to North America in the 11th century.

Leif Eriksson is credited with being the first European to set foot on American soil, and his journey was documented in Icelandic sagas such as The Saga of Erik the Red. These stories tell of a land called Vinland which was discovered by Eriksson and his crew during their voyage.

It is believed that this land may have been located somewhere along the coast of Newfoundland or Labrador in Canada. The first Europeans to return to this region of America were Basque fishermen in the early 16th century.

These early voyages did not lead to any permanent settlements, with colonization benning the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Christopher Columbus: The Early Years and Search for Support

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He had a passion for the sea from an early age and worked as a sailor on merchant ships before joining the Portuguese navy.

During this time he developed his navigational skills and knowledge of geography which would later prove invaluable during his voyages to the New World.

In 1484, Columbus presented his plan to reach Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean to King John II of Portugal but it was rejected on the grounds he had vastly underestimated the distance.

Undeterred, he continued searching for support elsewhere, finally receiving the backing of Spain in 1492. The Spanish court shared King John II’s suspicions of Columbus’ miscalculations, yet were willing to take the risk in a competitive climate for exploration.

The Spanish Monarchs and Columbus' Petition

The success of Columbus’ petition coincided with a period of transition and change for Spain.

The Spanish monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella had ascended the throne in 1479, their marriage dynastically unifying the formerly separate regions of Aragon and Castile.

Their rule also ushered in the end of the Reconquista, a centuries-long struggle between Christian and Muslim forces in the Iberian Peninsula. The fall of Granada in 1492 marked the end of Islamic rule in Spain.

The new monarchs were eager to capitalize on their newfound freedom, and provided Columbus with his own allowance, three ships, supplies and crew members for his journey. In return, they expected to gain access to new lands that could be colonized or used as trading posts.

Columbus' First Voyage and Discovery of the New World

Columbus’ first voyage began on August 3rd, 1492 with three ships – the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, and a crew of around 100 men.

After a long journey across the Atlantic, the crew spotted land on October 12, 1492. They had landed on an island in the Bahamas, which Columbus named San Salvador.

Columbus and his crew explored several other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and encountered the indigenous Taíno people.

On December 25, 1492, the Santa María ran aground on a reef off the coast of Hispaniola. Columbus ordered the ship to be dismantled, and he left behind a group of men to establish a settlement, which he named La Navidad (“The Nativity” or “Christmas”).

Columbus and the remaining crew set sail for Spain on January 16, 1493. They arrived back in Spain in March 1493, and Columbus was hailed as a hero for his discoveries.

Columbus' Reports and the European Response

Upon his return to Europe, Columbus reported back on the new lands he had discovered. He brought with him maps and drawings of the islands he visited, as well as descriptions of their inhabitants and resources.

Columbus also brought back samples of plants, animals, minerals and artifacts from his voyage which provided Europeans with an insight into the unknown world beyond their own continent. These included exotic fruits such as pineapples, tobacco leaves for smoking pipes, gold jewelry from native tribes in Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti), parrots from Cuba and an alligator.

His reports were met with enthusiasm in Spain, though also some disappointment. Columbus had not, after all, found India, nor any significant quantities of gold. With that in mind, the Spanish Crown were keen to sponsor further voyages.

Columbus' Second Voyage: Colonization and Conflict

In 1493, Columbus set sail on a second voyage with 17 ships and over one thousand men. Joined this time by priests, military men, artisans, and farmers, this voyage was designed not only to uncover new navigation routes, but also to establish colonies.

These efforts, however, were largely disastrous. He arrived at Hispaniola in late November to find that the settlement of La Navidad had entirely perished, forced to start a new town to the east, La Isabela.

Columbus’ relations with the Taíno people deteriorated during his second voyage. He imposed harsh conditions on them, including forced labor, and punished those who resisted Spanish authority, including colonists.

By 1495 over 60% of the settlers had died from disease and famine. The same year, Columbus captured 1,500 Arawak natives in order to sell them to slavery.

Columbus' Third Voyage and Reputation Damage

Columbus’ third voyage in 1498 was a final blow to his reputation at home.

Leaving from Spain in May 1498, he arrived in Trinidad in late July, and continued his exploration of the mainland of South America, believing that he had reached the eastern coast of Asia. He explored the Gulf of Paria and the Orinoco River in what is now Venezuela.

Columbus was increasingly accused of overseeing a reign of tyranny over Spanish colonists and inhuman brutality towards natives, and frequently seen to use torture and dismemberment.

This news also reached the mainland via Francisco de Bobadilla, a royal commissioner to the island and friend of Queen Isabella. This resulted in his arrest and imprisonment in Spain for a period of 6 weeks.

Only reluctantly did the crown agree to a fourth and final voyage to central America in 1502.

The Treaty of Tordesillas and Portuguese Expansion in Brazil

The Portuguese perceived Columbus’ voyages west to “India” to encroach on their empire, and it became necessary to agree upon how to divide the world.

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494 between Spain and Portugal, did just that, giving Portugal exclusive rights to explore and colonize lands east of a line drawn 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.

As a result, Portuguese explorers began to venture further south along the African coast. In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral became the first European to reach Brazil after being blown off course to India. Claiming this land for Portugal, mistaking it for an island which he named it “Ilha de Vera Cruz” (meaning “true cross”).

The Portuguese quickly settled here and exploited natural resources, setting up trading posts for the Brazilian timber tree. They also brought enslaved Africans over from Africa to work on their plantations which would become an integral part of Brazilian society for centuries. By 1532 they had founded São Vincente, south of today’s São Paulo.

The Fall of the Aztec Empire

While the Spanish and Portuguese began to wield great power in the Americas, they did not do so without resistance. Nor were the Americas lacking indigenous empires of their own.

One such empire was the Aztec Empire, an alliance of three states from the region of the Valley of Mexico which existed in central Mexico during the 15th and early 16th centuries. The “Mexica”, as the empire’s people were termed, had gained a reputation as fierce warriors in the 14th century.

Under the leadership of rulers like Moctezuma I, the Aztecs expanded their empire through conquest, forming alliances with other city-states, and demanding tribute from subjugated peoples.

Despite their military prowess, the Aztecs were ultimately brought to an end by the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1519.

The Spaniards, led by Hernan Cortes, allied themselves with enemies of the Aztecs and mounted a campaign of conquest that ultimately led to the fall of Tenochtitlan, the empire’s capital, in 1521.

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