The Voyages of Columbus

During the late 1400's Castile (a powerful Spanish territory on the Iberian Peninsula) was locked in an economic struggle for dominance over trade in the far east with Portugal. At the time the Portuguese had already explored much of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, which as a result, gave the Portuguese an advantage over maritime trade. Early Portuguese explorers such as Henry the Navigator and Bartolomeu Dias had charted the western shores of the African continent south of the equator all the way to the Cape of Good Hope. The Spanish however were behind the times in navigating the Atlantic Ocean. As a consequence, the Spanish sought to circumvent the Portuguese areas on influence along Africa by heading west to Asia. Some scholars in this time period were beginning to realize that the Earth was a sphere and not flat. If the Earth was proven to be a sphere then the Spanish knew that by sailing west they could reach the riches available in east Asia without having to negotiate and pay tribute to the Portuguese who occupied the southern route around Africa.

The Spanish commissioned a navigator of Italian decent to lead the exploration of the Western Atlantic Ocean. Christopher Columbus, who erroneously is credited with discovering America, was the first modern European to sail west and reach the shores of lands in the Western Hemisphere. Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean four times. Each expedition brought back a wealth of information and new understandings of the people, the lands, the seas, and the goods across the Atlantic Ocean. Although, Columbus correctly operated under the assumption that the Earth was a sphere, he did grossly underestimate the diameter of the Earth. As a result, Columbus believed that he had reached the shores of Eastern Asia on his first voyage with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. After years of exploration it was confirmed that Columbus did not reach East Asia, but that in fact there were two continents and the Earth's largest ocean i.e. the Pacific, still to be overcome to reach East Asia.

Columbus' voyages primarily focused around the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico region. On the first voyage, Columbus and his crew reached modern-day Northeastern Cuba and Haiti / Dominican Republic (referred to at this time period as Hispaniola). On the second voyage the shores of Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Souther Cuba were detailed. The third voyage reached modern Venezuela; whereas the fourth and final voyage reached Central America.

The voyages of Christopher Columbus had a profound impact on the history of the world. First, the Western Atlantic had been discovered by Europeans. Previously myths and tall tales about sea monsters and the edge of the Earth were the common explanations used to describe the dangers outside of the comfortable sailing areas along the shores of Western Europe and Africa. Furthermore, the Europeans realized that they may not make it to East Asia, but there was a wealth of opportunity found in the Americas. Finally, the Spanish and Portuguese signed the Treaty of Tordesillas to divide the lands of the Western Hemisphere. Eventually, however, the Spanish and Portuguese were soon followed by the British, Dutch, and French to the "New World."