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Last Updated: Aug 11, 2009 - 8:20:16 PM |
The Ships and their Navigation
The Three ships, the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria, were acquired in a small seaport town called Palos de la Frontera. As a punishment for something the town or its citizens had done against the Crown of Spain, it had to provide two caravels whenever commanded to so.
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| Modern replica of Christopher Columbus' ships |
This kind of levy, which also included the payment of all the costs of equipment, was to stay in effect for a maximum of 12 months. On April 30 1492, the Crown put this levy into effect and, through an order of the Royal Council, the two caravels were placed under the command of Columbus. The payment of four months' wages to those who participate in the voyage and a decree of amnesty to any criminal who volunteered were also authorized by the Council. Four people only took advantage of the decree of amnesty.
Most of the crewmembers came from the immediate area or its vicinity: Palos, Huelva, and Moguer. The northerner's members of the crew were mainly on Juan de la Costa's ship, la Callega. Columbus retained most of its sailor and made her the flagship and changed its name to Santa Maria .
To understand the reason why he changed the name to Santa Maria we have to look in a place in Spain called La Rabida. It is the location of the Monasterio de Santa Maria de la Rabida in Huelva.
Cristóbal Colón arrived to this monastery in 1485 and, after many long hours of conversation with Father Juan Perez de Marchena, great humanist and expert in Astrology and Cosmography, found the scientific arguments that supported his project.
The Monastery is still standing today. It is a beautiful building from the 15th century that keeps intact the memory of the "El Almirante". At its feet, the visitor can see the Caravels Wharf, whose waters hold the exact replicas of the vessels that took Cristóbal Colón to America.
The three ships were: la Santa Maria/Gallega, la Pinta and la Santa Clara also known as la Nina the feminine form of its owner surname, Nino.
Read the full page of Columbus ships and log
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