The term "discovery of america” is used for the arrival of the Spaniards to the American continent, on October 12, 1492. This happened through the expedition led by the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus. This expedition was not conceived with the purpose of reaching unknown lands, but rather the Asian continent.
The arrival of the Spaniards in America started the process of colonization of the American continent and also the dispute for land with the Portuguese. Despite the evidence, Columbus never believed he had arrived on a new continent. Despite the feat, the Spaniards were not the first Europeans to arrive in America, as the vikings they had done it in the tenth century.
Accessalso: Understand how the Spaniards conquered America from the natives
Was America discovered by Europeans?
The use of the term “discovery” to refer to the discovery of America has been, and still is, hotly debated by historians. Most of them consider that the use of the term "discovery" is not appropriate, since the expedition of Christopher Columbus was not looking for new lands, but Asia.
The idea of discovering America was something that came later, that is, it was an interpretation made about the events related to the expedition of Columbus. Historian Edmundo O'Gorman states that the first mention of the idea of discovery took place in the first half of the 16th century and was published in a book written by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo.
Based on Oviedo's writing, the idea of discovery gained strength and consolidated itself. Despite this, a discussion brought by some historians deals with the conception that America didn't need Europeans or their arrival here to exist, since the continent already existed in itself and was inhabited by millions of inhabitants who formed different societies, some of them with a high degree of sophistication.
Because of these discussions, many historians try to use other concepts to explain this 1492 event. Some speak of “America's conquest”, others of “America's invasion”, and still other terms used are “arrival”, “invention” or even “finding”.
Columbus led the first European expedition to reach America?
Columbus' expedition it wasn't the first European shipment arriving in America. The first Europeans to reach this continent were the vikings, led by LeifEriksson, an explorer who led an expedition with 35 men, at the end of the 10th century, and reached the region of Newfoundland, present-day Canada. However, the vikings, unlike the Spanish and Portuguese, were unsuccessful in an attempt to establish a settlement in America.
Accessalso: Hans Staden - the reports of a German who was in Brazil in the 16th century
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great navigations
Columbus' arrival in America in 1492 is one of the most significant moments of the great navigations. O XV century it was a moment of "breaking borders", as man began to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Europeans had no idea what they would find sailing west of the Atlantic, but in this century, little by little, the mysteries were unraveled.
The great navigations were, therefore, the explorations carried out by European vessels in the Atlantic Ocean. A first important factor in this regard was a technological improvement which allowed the development of vessels more suitable for maritime navigation, in addition to a series of instruments having helped in the navigation and location of those who sailed.
However, maritime navigation was not carried out for reasons of exploitation by exploration. she had a strong economic interest, that is, there was only an incentive for these expeditions because, through them, a significant economic gain could be obtained through the opening of the spice trade in India.
This interest in new maritime trade routes was mainly motivated by by the closing of traditional routes that passed through Constantinople. like the old capital Byzantine was in the hands of ottomans since 1453, this path has been barred for Christian Europeans.
The pioneer country in Atlantic exploration was Portugal, as this Iberian country had a series of conditions that allowed investment in this project. Portugal had a politically stable kingdom, was not at war, had a growing trade and a geographic location that encouraged ocean exploration.
You Spaniards entered this process late., especially because they spent a long time in the 15th century fighting the Moors in the south of the peninsula and because the unification of the Christian kingdoms there happened late. Not to be left behind the Portuguese, the Spanish kings decided to finance a Genoese, Christopher Columbus, to go to India.
Columbus Expedition
Christopher Columbus he was a Genoese navigator who started his career in the 1470s. He believed in the idea of the sphericity of the Earth, and since the 1480s he had been in contact with the Portuguese, English and French looking for investment, but it was the Spaniards who, in 1492, decided to finance their expedition, consisting of three vessels.
How he defended the sphericity of the Earth, Columbus he claimed that it was possible to reach India by sailing from the west. What he didn't know, however, was that in the middle of the road there was a continent unknown to Europeans and that the crossing would be much longer than he expected. In any case, on August 3, 1492, Niña, Pinta and Santa María sailed west from Spain.
Along the journey, Columbus had problems with the sailors because they were distressed by the delay in finding land. As Columbus believed the Earth was smaller than it was and the Atlantic was narrow, he he deduced what land would be found after a few weeks, and the sailors clung to that promise.
Anyway, the trip went on, and the Spaniards sighted land on October 12, 1492. They had come to an island in the Caribbean called by the Indians Guanahani, but Columbus renamed it to San Salvador. Historians are not sure which island this was, but they do know that it is in the Bahamas.
Columbus continued exploring the region and arrived at the island that became known as Hispaniola. There he met one of the local chiefs, Guacanagari, maintaining peaceful contact and receiving gifts. During his stay in Hispaniola, one of the ships sank, and Columbus received permission from Guacanagari to build a fort called Christmas, leaving 39 men in it.
Despite being treated in a friendly way, Columbus kidnapped some natives (men, women and children) to take us to the presence of the Spanish kings. He recorded in his travel journal about the natives being used as servants and converts to Christianity.
Afterwards, Columbus was in the island of cuba, he renamed her Juana, but that name did not become popular. He returned to Spain, landing there in mid 1493, being received as a hero. Despite everything he saw, Columbus didn't believe he had arrived on an unknown continent. He believed he was in India, and so he named the places “Indians”.
read more: Hereditary captaincies - the Portuguese administration in its colony in America
colonization of america
With the arrival of the Spaniards in America, diplomatic negotiations were used to guarantee the possession of the lands. After nearly two years, the Portuguese and the Spaniards reached an agreement called Treaty of Tordesillas. Signed in 1494, this treaty determined that an imaginary line 370 leagues from Cape Verde would define what would be the land of Spain and what would be the land of Portugal.
On Columbus' second voyage, in 1493, the Spaniards sent a total of 17 vessels to America. The Spanish effort to carry out colonizationAmerican. The first two settlements created by Columbus (Navidad and Isabela) failed, but colonization in the Caribbean islands took hold.
Soon the Spaniards started to economic exploitation of the place and a incessant search for gold. You natives were the biggest harmed, therefore, victims of diseases brought by Europeans, enslaved and mistreated, were killed by the millions in a few decades of the Spanish presence.
By Daniel Neves
History teacher