First Voyage

Three ships, the Santa Maria (Columbus's flagship), the Niña, and the Pinta —with a crew of 90—set sail from Palos, Spain, on August 3,1492. Columbus's plan was to sail west-south west across the Atlantic. His only navigational instruments were the compass and a crude quadrant, but he was a master of navigation by dead reckoning. The expedition had good trade winds and calm seas most of the way. Early in October, his crew became restive and demanded to return to Spain. Fearing mutiny, Columbus agreed to turn back if land did not soon appear.

On October 12, 1492, an island was sighted and Columbus and his party went ashore. He took possession of the land in the name of the king and queen and christened it San Salvador. Its inhabitants called it Guanahani. (This island has been thought to be the island now known as San Salvador, or Watling Island, in the Bahamas. However, its identity remains a matter of conjecture. Two other suggested locations are Samana Cay, also in the Bahamas, and Grand Turk, in the Turks and Caicos Islands.) Sure that he had reached the Indies, Columbus called the natives his party encountered Indians.

After a few days, Columbus set sail again and explored the northern coasts of what are now Cuba and Hispaniola in the hope of finding Cipango (Japan) or Cathay (China). On Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria was wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola. Columbus salvaged materials from the vessel, using them to build a fort, which he named La Navidad. He left 39 men there to search for gold. The two remaining vessels sailed for Spain, and after a hazardous voyage arrived at Palos on March 15, 1493.

Columbus made a triumphant entry into Barcelona in late April, bringing with him six Indians, gold artifacts, and spices from the islands. The king and queen gave him the titles Admiral of the Ocean Sea and Viceroy and Governor of the Indies and ordered him to make a second voyage.