The First Voyage of Columbus

On May 12, 1492, Columbus left Granada after finalizing negotiations with the Spanish government regarding his voyage. He began recruiting a crew and outfitting his ships with provisions. On August 3, 1492, he set sail from Spain with three small ships: the Santa Maria, which was Columbus's flagship, and the smaller vessels, the Pinta and the Niña, carrying a crew of 90 in total. The expedition's first stop was the Canary Islands, where they replenished their supplies. From there, they headed due west.

Throughout the voyage, Columbus encountered calm seas and a consistent east-to-west wind. By October 6th, the crew grew anxious, fearing they wouldn't be able to return home due to the prevailing winds and considered turning back. Columbus convened a meeting with the ship captains, and they decided to press on. On October 10th, facing near mutiny, Columbus persuaded the crew to continue for another two or three days. At 2 AM on October 12th, a sailor from the Pinta sighted land. That morning, Columbus and the other captains landed on the island, claimed it for Spain, and named it San Salvador. The island's original inhabitants referred to it as Guanahani.

Believing he had reached islands near Asia, Columbus referred to the native inhabitants as "Indians." He quickly initiated trade with the locals. After exploring San Salvador, he ventured to another nearby island before landing on Cuba, which he believed to be part of the Asian mainland. Post Cuba, Columbus directed his ships toward Hispaniola (modern-day Dominican Republic/Haiti). Tragically, on Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria ran aground. Earlier, the Pinta had separated on its own exploratory mission in hopes of finding gold. With the Santa Maria wrecked, the Niña lacked space to carry the entire crew back to Spain. Columbus's solution was to leave some crew members behind to establish a trading post. On January 4th, he departed from Hispaniola. Two days later, the Niña reunited with the Pinta, and they further explored the coast of Hispaniola, where they encountered their first aggressive natives. When favorable winds arose, Columbus began the return journey to Spain. It was a challenging voyage, marked by heavy storms. Forced to make a pitstop in Portugal for supplies, Columbus finally reached Spain on March 15, 1493.

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