Severiano ballesteros biography of christopher columbus
Upon arriving in the New World, Columbus encountered various indigenous societies with diverse languages, customs, and belief systems. This encounter led to the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and technologies between the two cultures. Europeans introduced new crops, animals, and technologies to the Americas, while indigenous peoples shared their knowledge of local resources, navigation, and agricultural practices.
However, this exchange was not without conflict and the detrimental effects of colonization, including the introduction of diseases and the displacement of indigenous populations. Nonetheless, this cultural exchange has left a lasting impact on both sides and has influenced art, severiano ballesteros biography of christopher columbus, cuisine, and various aspects of contemporary American and European cultures.
The wealth brought back from the New World, in the form of precious metals and goods, fueled the expansion of European economies and financed future explorations and wars. The discovery of new trade routes also contributed to the rise of powerful nation-states, such as Spain and Portugal, and intensified competition among European powers for dominance in global trade and colonization.
His voyages continue to be widely studied and debated, shaping our understanding of world history, exploration, and the interactions between different cultures. Columbus is often celebrated as a pioneering explorer who expanded the boundaries of human knowledge and opened up new frontiers. However, his legacy is also marred by controversy, as his arrival in the Americas led to the colonization, oppression, and enslavement of indigenous peoples.
He estimated the earth to be a sphere and the distance between the Canary Islands and Japan to be about 2, miles. Despite their disagreement with Columbus on matters of distance, they concurred that a westward voyage from Europe would be an uninterrupted water route. Columbus proposed a three-ship voyage of discovery across the Atlantic first to the Portuguese king, then to Genoa, and finally to Venice.
He was rejected each time. Their focus was on a war with the Muslims, and their nautical experts were skeptical, so they initially rejected Columbus. The idea, however, must have intrigued the monarchs, because they kept Columbus on a retainer. Columbus continued to lobby the royal court, and soon, the Spanish army captured the last Muslim stronghold in Granada in January Shortly thereafter, the monarchs agreed to finance his expedition.
On October 12,after 36 days of sailing westward across the Atlantic, Columbus and several crewmen set foot on an island in present-day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain. There, his crew encountered a timid but friendly group of natives who were open to trade with the sailors. They exchanged glass beads, cotton balls, parrots, and spears. The Europeans also noticed bits of gold the natives wore for adornment.
Columbus and his men continued their journey, visiting the islands of Cuba which he thought was mainland China and Hispaniola now Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which Columbus thought might be Japan and meeting with the leaders of the native population. During this time, the Santa Maria was wrecked on a reef off the coast of Hispaniola.
Thirty-nine men stayed behind to occupy the settlement. Convinced his exploration had reached Asia, he set sail for home with the two remaining ships. Returning to Spain inColumbus gave a glowing but somewhat exaggerated report and was warmly received by the royal court. InColumbus took to the seas on his second expedition and explored more islands in the Caribbean Ocean.
Upon arrival at Hispaniola, Columbus and his crew discovered the Navidad settlement had been destroyed with all the sailors massacred. Spurning the wishes of the local queen, Columbus established a forced labor policy upon the native population to rebuild the settlement and explore for gold, believing it would be profitable. His efforts produced small amounts of gold and great hatred among the native population.
Before returning to Spain, Columbus left his brothers Bartholomew and Giacomo to govern the settlement on Hispaniola and sailed briefly around the larger Caribbean islands, further convincing himself he had discovered the outer islands of China. The Spanish Crown sent a royal official who arrested Columbus and stripped him of his authority.
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 enslaved people to Queen Isabella. In MayColumbus sailed west across the Atlantic for the third time.
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 beenTaino were left on their island. Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Spain in chains.
Incleared 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 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.
Ten years after his voyage, Columbus, awaiting the gallows on criminal charges in a Caribbean prison, plotted a treacherous final voyage to restore his reputation. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States. Governorship [ edit ]. Colonist rebellions [ edit ]. Bobadilla's inquiry [ edit ].
Trial in Spain [ edit ]. Fourth voyage — [ edit ]. Main article: Fourth voyage of Columbus. Legacy [ edit ]. See also [ edit ].
Severiano ballesteros biography of christopher columbus
Notes [ edit ]. The strong winds and the fact that they were some 56 kilometres 35 mi from land indicate that this was unlikely from a native inhabitant fishing. He was given his own footmen to open doors for him and to serve him at the table. Columbus was even rewarded with his own coat of arms. It was owned by Antonio Torres, brother of the nurse to Don Juan.
He also left his daughter to the admiral's care, calling him "his lordship", although it is unknown what became of her. It contained an account of Columbus's seven-year reign as the first governor of the Indies. Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian, states: "Even those who loved him [Columbus] had to admit the atrocities that had taken place.
The Amerindian societies of Mesoamerica occupied the land ranging from central Mexico in the north to Costa Rica in the south. The cultures of Panama traded with both Mesoamerica and South America and can be considered transitional between those two cultural areas. References [ edit ]. Retrieved November 15, Accessed September 16, The Vikings and America.
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