On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set out on his first voyage to the New World. The ships left the Spanish city of Palos de la Frontera. The expedition included three sailing ships, the caravels Niña and Pinta, and the flagship Santa Maria. The main task of the sailors was to find a sea route to the lands of Asia. A total of one hundred men set out on the sea voyage.
This voyage can be called the start of Spain’s expansion of the New World territories. It is believed that Europeans entered these uncharted lands for the first time. Interestingly, Columbus himself was confident that he had found the eastern tip of Asia and very close to China, or perhaps Japan or even India. Because of this certainty, the new lands were long called the West Indies. But in fact they were the islands of the Caribbean Sea.
During this first expedition toward the Americas, the Spaniards discovered the Sargasso Sea, which they sailed for about three weeks. The crew was sure they had missed Japan on their way, so they adjusted their course. As early as October, Christopher Columbus landed at Guanahani, naming it San Salvador. Here he obtained tobacco leaves from the locals. The Spaniards visited Cuba, Haiti, Tortuga, and the Azores. On their return to Spain, the sailors brought back many different plants, fruits, gold and the natives, who were nicknamed Indians.
I could not leave this topic unattended and the conquest, as well as the difficulties of traveling to the New Earths are described in my fantasy novel “Secrets of the Ocean Depths”. I think this work will not leave anyone indifferent.
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