Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón)
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, trained as a sailor in Portugal and conceived the idea of reaching China and the East Indies by sailing westwards. In 1492 he set sail from Palos de la Frontera and, later that same year, landed in the Bahamas believing he had fulfilled his ambition. He made three further voyages from bases in Andalucía, reaching mainland South America and other islands in what are still termed the West Indies in deference to his mistake.
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a beautiful Andalucían village full of local colour. Palos is an historical and monumental site which has grown thanks to the Discovery of America, an event still very much alive in the minds of its people. Columbus' captains, of the Pinta and the Niña, were Martín and Vincente Pinzón, brothers from Palos. These days Palos' prosperity comes from the surrounding thousands of hectares of strawberry fields, which have changed the face of the landscape and added a new and delicious aspect to the town.
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La Rábida - Muelle de las Carabelas
La Rábida has a museum dedicated to the voyages of Columbus. Here, in a wharf, there are life size working replicas of his three ships, the caravel Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña. You can board the ships and experience how cramped the conditions must have been on his Atlantic voyages.
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La Rábida - Monasterio de la Rábidas
Here Columbus found support and backing for his trip from the Franciscans - since the monks had been travellers who had brought back news from the East it is not really surprising he should go to this monastery. Without their help, his plans would never have reached the ears of Queen Isabel la Católica. The monastery is where Columbus' ideas were talked through, the voyage was finally decided upon and all its details worked out. The monastery is now a shrine to Columbus' exploits. Today, we see a huge contrast between the humble nature of the order itself and the glorious spirit of the great adventure that was born within its walls.
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Moguer
A beautiful, whitewashed town, Moguer is a network of shaded courtyards and narrow streets whose buildings are lined with flower boxes and is a delight to stroll around.
The walls of the 14th century Convento de Santa Clara enclose some splendid stone carved Mudéjar cloisters. The nun's dormitory, kitchen and refectory capture some of the atmosphere of their life inside the enclosure. Columbus paid frequent visits to Moguer and was in correspondence with the Abbess Doña Inés Enriquez. When he returned from his first voyage he kept vigil for one night at the Convent, fulfilling a vow that he had made when encountering a storm off the Azores.
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