# Canonical recap data for Columbus Sails to the Americas (1492)
# Source: https://recap.at/1492/columbus-americas
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: columbus-americas
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1492/columbus-americas"
title: Columbus Sails to the Americas
aliases:
- Columbus's First Voyage
- Voyage of 1492
- Discovery of the New World
- First Transatlantic Crossing
subtitle: Columbus's transatlantic voyage initiated European colonization and irreversibly transformed global demographics, economies, and cultures.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1492-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1492
decade: 1490
country:
name: Spain
slug: spain
summaryShort: Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps is an all-age drum and bugle corps based in Columbus, Ohio. The corps is a member of Drum Corps Associates (DCA), and also competes in Drum Corps International All-Age Class.
summaryLong: Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps is an all-age drum and bugle corps based in Columbus, Ohio. The corps is a member of Drum Corps Associates (DCA), and also competes in Drum Corps International All-Age Class.
lede: In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed westward from Spain with three ships, seeking a route to Asia. He instead reached the Caribbean islands, initiating sustained European contact with the Americas. This voyage reshaped global trade, demographics, and power structures for centuries.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Leaded_glass_plate_with_painted_image_of_Columbus%27_ship_%22Santa_Maria%22_%28A._E._Smith%2C_Libbey_Glass_Company%2C_1893%29%2C_Corning_Museum_of_Glass%2C_Corning%2C_New_York_-_20230312.jpg/1280px-Leaded_glass_plate_with_painted_image_of_Columbus%27_ship_%22Santa_Maria%22_%28A._E._Smith%2C_Libbey_Glass_Company%2C_1893%29%2C_Corning_Museum_of_Glass%2C_Corning%2C_New_York_-_20230312.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Leaded glass plate with painted image of Columbus' ship 'Santa Maria' (A. E. Smith, Libbey Glass Company, 1893), Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York - 20230312\" by Andre Carrotflower is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/."
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Ships in fleet
  value: "Three: Niña, Pinta, Santa María"
- label: Departure port
  value: Palos, Spain
- label: First landfall
  value: San Salvador (modern-day Bahamas)
- label: Voyage duration
  value: Approximately 10 weeks
- label: Crew size
  value: Roughly 90 men
- label: Sponsoring monarchy
  value: Spanish Crown (Ferdinand and Isabella)
- label: Number of voyages
  value: Columbus made four transatlantic voyages (1492, 1493, 1498, 1502)
timeline:
- date: 1492-08-03
  title: Fleet departs Palos
  description: Columbus's three ships leave the port of Palos in southwestern Spain, beginning the westward voyage.
- date: 1492-09-06
  title: Fleet leaves the Canary Islands
  description: After a stop in the Canaries for repairs and supplies, Columbus's fleet departs for open ocean.
- date: 1492-10-12
  title: First landfall in the Americas
  description: The fleet reaches San Salvador in the Bahamas. Columbus believes he has reached the Indies near Asia.
- date: 1492-10-28
  title: Arrival in Cuba
  description: Columbus explores and claims Cuba, searching for the mainland of Asia and signs of the Great Khan.
- date: 1492-12-06
  title: Reaching Hispaniola
  description: Columbus arrives at the island of Hispaniola (modern Haiti and Dominican Republic), where he establishes La Navidad settlement.
- date: 1492-12-25
  title: Santa María runs aground
  description: The flagship Santa María is wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola. Columbus leaves 39 men at La Navidad and returns with the remaining two ships.
- date: 1493-03-15
  title: Return to Spain
  description: Columbus arrives back in Spain, reporting his discoveries to Ferdinand and Isabella and claiming he has found islands near Asia.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Saints_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps"
  title: Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Columbus's 1492 voyage marked the beginning of sustained European colonization of the Americas, fundamentally altering global trade networks, indigenous populations, and the distribution of power among European nations. The voyage's consequences—both the exchange of goods and ideas, and the devastation of native peoples—remain contested and consequential today.
categories:
- launch
metaDescription: Columbus sails to the Caribbean in 1492, initiating sustained European contact with the Americas and reshaping global history.
wikidataQid: Q17510651
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Spanish Chronicles
  publisherSlug: the-spanish-chronicles
  headline: Admiral Columbus Returns with News of New Lands Beyond the Ocean Sea
  publishedAt: 1493-03-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records held at Archivo General de Indias
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Christopher Columbus has returned to Spain after a voyage of eight months across the Atlantic, bringing word of islands and peoples previously unknown to Christendom. The expedition, sponsored by Their Catholic Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella, promises vast territories and opportunities for trade and conversion.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Spain
- publisher: Venetian State Gazette
  publisherSlug: venetian-state-gazette
  headline: Castilian Fleet Discovers Western Route - Venice's Trade Monopoly Under Threat
  publishedAt: 1493-04-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - Venetian state archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Merchants and the Council of Ten convene urgently as reports confirm Spain's Columbus has discovered a western passage to new lands. The discovery threatens Venice's centuries-old dominance of eastern trade routes and has sent ripples through the banking houses of the Republic.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Italy
- publisher: Portuguese Royal Gazette
  publisherSlug: portuguese-royal-gazette
  headline: Castilian Expedition Reaches Unknown Islands - Portuguese Court Studies Implications
  publishedAt: 1493-05-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - Torre do Tombo archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - King John II of Portugal has convened his cosmographers and navigators to assess the significance of Columbus's voyage for Portuguese exploration efforts. Scholars debate whether these lands fall within Portuguese or Spanish spheres of influence under existing papal agreements.
  significance: 80
  type: newspaper
  region: Portugal
- publisher: The Roman Observer
  publisherSlug: the-roman-observer
  headline: Pope Summoned to Mediate Spanish and Portuguese Claims to New Territories
  publishedAt: 1493-06-03
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - Vatican Secret Archives references
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - As Spain and Portugal submit competing claims over Columbus's discoveries, ecclesiastical authorities prepare for urgent diplomatic intervention. The Pope is expected to issue a bull settling territorial disputes and ensuring Christian missionary work in the newly found lands.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: Papal States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20251112151929/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Saints_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps"
  capturedAt: 2025-11-12
  label: Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Saints_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps"
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- creation
impactRadius: local
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Christopher_Columbus_voyages_map-fr.svg/1280px-Christopher_Columbus_voyages_map-fr.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Christopher_Columbus_voyages_map-fr.svg/800px-Christopher_Columbus_voyages_map-fr.svg.png"
  caption: Christopher Columbus voyages map-fr
  credit: Sémhur
  width: 1922
  height: 1256
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Christopher_Columbus_voyages.gif/1280px-Christopher_Columbus_voyages.gif"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Christopher_Columbus_voyages.gif/800px-Christopher_Columbus_voyages.gif"
  caption: Christopher Columbus voyages
  credit: Wikimedia Commons
  width: 1861
  height: 1085
