As Portuguese merchants began to dominate Indian Ocean trade routes, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus believed that sailing west across the Atlantic would be a faster way to get to the Indian Ocean.
He went to Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who were intrigued with the idea. Portugal was their main rival and so they were eager to find an alternate route to China and the Indian Ocean. Eventually, they gave Columbus the financing for the voyage. In August of 1492, Columbus set sail. After two months, Columbus and his crew arrived in the present-day Bahamas, convinced this was India. Columbus's voyage was a bust in the short term. The King and Queen of Spain expected a return on their investments, but there was no gold, spices, porcelain, or any Indian Ocean luxury goods in the Americas. The Spanish monarchs would soon see that the Americas were full of other riches and in time, the Americas would make them tremendously wealthy during the Early Modern Period. Others exploring on behalf of Spain, were Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, and Ferdinand Magellan, although not all of these gentlemen were Spanish born. |
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was as much a conquistador as he was an explorer. He was tempted by the myth that he could find the famed “Seven Cities of Gold” in the New World. He became the first European to see the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest, eventually claiming land north of Mexico for Spain.
Ferdinand Magellan, originally of Portugal, was commissioned by Spain to forge a route to the East Indies, which is today known as Southeast Asia. Although Magellan died during his voyage in the Philippines in 1521, his ship and crew made the first circumnavigation of Earth, meaning a complete trip around the world.