SPAIN IN AMERICA

1492, through the Eighteenth Century

Columbus

As we discussed last lecture, Christopher Columbus (Cristofo Colombo) was a Genoese sailor with a plan to sail west to get to the riches of the east, and in the summer of 1492, he had convinced the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to back his voyage. As we know, he did not reach Asia, but the unexpected results of his four voyages would have far-reaching consequences for the entire world.

First Voyage, 1492-Based on his miscalculation of the circumference of the Earth, Columbus believed he could sail west approximately 3000 miles and reach the east coast of Asia. Departing with three ships (can you name them?) in August, he sailed southwest to the Canary Islands, then west across the Atlantic, and on October 12, he sighted land, and having sailed about 3000 miles, he believed he had reached Asia, or The Indies, as the Europeans called the Asian islands. So, if that was the Indies, then those people must be 'Indians'; the misnomer stuck. In fact, he was in the Bahamas, but nevertheless, his belief that he had reached Asia would never be shaken.

Later Voyages -

1. After sailing around, landing on, and naming the island of Hispaniola, he left some men there, and sailed back, bringing with him some 'Indians', as well as some strange plants and other things from the islands; but no silks or spices, nor any of the things the Europeans knew were from Asia, and for which they had sailed. Nevertheless, the somewhat amazed monarchs authorized another voyage in 1493, during which Columbus charted more lands (Cuba, Jamaica), but again failed to find the riches of Asia.
2. A third voyage in 1498 sailed far south, along the coast of an obvious continent, which shouldn't have been there if this was Asia. By this time, the Portuguese DaGama had reached India, meaning that Columbus had failed in his promise to reach Asia first. This, of course, was not all he would fail to do.
3. In 1499, a Portuguese expedition went along the coast of this southern continent, achieving little new; but aboard this voyage was an Italian passenger named Amerigo Vespucci, who wrote his observations, and this was published back in Europe, with consequences which we will discuss soon.
4. Columbus' fourth and last voyage in 1502 went as far west as the seas would allow, along the coast of Central America: no spices, no rich civilizations, only more new coasts and seas to chart. But still, Columbus believed he was just off the coast of China or the Indies, and one more voyage would bring him there. But the Spanish monarchs were not convinced, especially as the Portuguese were now every year bringing back rich goods from the Indian Ocean. Columbus was fired and stripped of all authority; he would die in 1506, disgraced but yet still believing that he had reached Asia.

Spain Explores 'America'

Spanish Explorations, 1510-1513 -Though Columbus failed to fulfill Spain's goal to reach Asia from the West, the growing realization of the newness of these lands compelled Spain's monarchs to continue exploring, probing for perhaps a way to Asia, or for what these new lands had to offer themselves.

1. Balboa - 1510-13: The Spanish captain Balboa sailed to the isthmus of Panama, disembarked and journeyed overland into the interior, which fortunately for them was not far. They came to the top of a hill, and looked out over a vast oceanic vista: the Great South Sea, as he called it (Map 3). This was all a wonder for these sailors, but it certainly was not Asia.
2. Ponce de Leon - 1513: Juan Ponce de Leon sought the 'Fountain of Youth', and also a northwestern way to China. He sailed all around a lush land to the north of Cuba, which he called 'Florida', for its abundant flora. But no China, and no 'Fountain of Youth' (unless you count Miami).
3. These new lands - Cuba, Hispaniola, Panama, Florida - were obviously not Asia, but what, and where, were they? The Spanish soldiers and priests had already begun to exploit and even terrorize the numerous inhabitants there, as Lepore tells us (Chapter One), but the Spanish had no clear idea of what they were exploiting. That is, until two fateful expeditions began to reveal the possibilities for immense wealth and power.

Magellan/El Cano, 1519-1522 The new Spanish monarch Carlos V hired Ferdinand Magellan to get around the great continent to the south, and into the 'Great South Sea', seeking the long deferred western route to Asia. The expedition of five ships sailed south along the continent (South America), which extends much farther south than they realized, finally going through a narrow strait (Straits of Magellan) into an open ocean: the Pacific, so named by Magellan because of its relative tranquility compared to the stormy strait. This clearly was Balboa's South Sea, so Asia must be just to the west. They sailed to the northwest, not knowing how far they would have to travel. After thousands of miles and great hardship, including all but two of the ships being wrecked in a typhoon, they finally made landfall in an archipelago with a large population and a sophisticated culture that was obviously Asian: the Philippines (so named decades later when the Spanish returned in the name of their king, Philip). Re-supplying and getting the lay of the land, realizing where they were, Magellan acted with typically overbearing European manners, and claimed the land for Spain. This led to a dispute, in which Magellan and some of his crew were killed, leading the rest to flee, now under the command of Magellan's lieutenant. Sebastian del Cano, or simply El Cano, is one of the unrecognized persons of history, but it was because of him that we know of Magellan. Taking command of the one remaining ship and dwindling crew, El Cano led them not back from where they had come, but west, through the many island groups of Southeast Asia, into the Indian Ocean, around Africa, and thence back to Spain - a tremendously difficult journey. Less than two dozen survived, but El Cano had kept the log, proving that they had circled the Earth. Asia, but a separate and indeed - to the Europeans - a New World. And another result of this first circumnavigation was the beginning of the rehabilitation of Columbus' role: yes, Columbus had failed, and was wrong in his geography, but he was right in his belief that you could sail west to reach the east.