Columbus and his Voyage to America Christopher Columbus was the son of a weaver who lived in Genoa, Italy. When he was younger he never really had experience around the sea. But, when he was a teenager he got his first chance to go on a sea voyage. He then participated in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. On one of his voyages, to the island of Khios, in modern day Greece, actually brought him as close as he would ever get to Asia. He was a part of several other voyages to Africa where he learned of the Atlantic currents flowing east and west from the Canary islands. Muslim domination of the trade routes through the Middle East made it difficult to reach India and China and that is why he was inspired to create a plan to get to the east by going west.
So Columbus had an idea that he could get to where he wanted to trade by going the opposite direction. But, first he needed to find someone that would fund his risky voyage. He first went to the Portuguese king with a request of funding for a three ship voyage of discovery, but he was rejected. Then he approached Genoa and then to Venice with the idea but he was rejected just the same. Finally, he went to the Spanish monarchy of …show more content…
Which upon landing Columbus decided to name it San Salvador and claim it for Spain. The native people there called the island Guanahani. The natives called themselves Tainos. They were open to trade with the sailors and traded glass beads, cotton balls, parrots and spears. Later in the month he sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and then in December he discovered Hispaniola, which he thought might be Japan. Believing that he landed in Asia he Dismantled one of his ships and built Villa de la Navidad, “Christmas Town”, and had 39 men stay behind to occupy the village and he took the other two ships and started off back for
So Columbus had an idea that he could get to where he wanted to trade by going the opposite direction. But, first he needed to find someone that would fund his risky voyage. He first went to the Portuguese king with a request of funding for a three ship voyage of discovery, but he was rejected. Then he approached Genoa and then to Venice with the idea but he was rejected just the same. Finally, he went to the Spanish monarchy of …show more content…
Which upon landing Columbus decided to name it San Salvador and claim it for Spain. The native people there called the island Guanahani. The natives called themselves Tainos. They were open to trade with the sailors and traded glass beads, cotton balls, parrots and spears. Later in the month he sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and then in December he discovered Hispaniola, which he thought might be Japan. Believing that he landed in Asia he Dismantled one of his ships and built Villa de la Navidad, “Christmas Town”, and had 39 men stay behind to occupy the village and he took the other two ships and started off back for