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106-405: The Pinzón family was among the leading families of Palos de la Frontera in the late 15th century. There are several conflicting theories about the origin of the family and of their name ( see Pinzón family ). His grandfather was a sailor and diver known as Martín ; it is not clear whether that was a first or last name, and whether in his generation Pinzón was a surname or an epithet . His father

212-532: A Juan Martin Pinçon que agora vive en la villa de Huelva, e en tal posesion fueron habidos e tenidos e comunmente reputados, e lo es el tal dicho Juan Martin. To all of this. the response was affirmative. The testimony is reproduced in: Gonzalo Martín, vecino of Huelva. ... [M. A. Pinzón] ... was famous during his lifetime, and neither on sea nor land the King had no other man so valiant nor brave as him, and in

318-734: A Martín Alonso lo que pasaba con aquella gente, y que qué le parescía que debían hacer; e que el dicho Martín Alonso Pinzón le había respondido; «Señor; ahorque vuesa merced a media docena dellos e échelos al mar, y si no se atreve, yo e mis hermanos barloaremos sobre ellos y lo haremos, que armada que salio con mandato de tan altos principes no ha de volver atras sin buenas nuevas.» Y que sabe que con esto se animaron; y el dicho Colón había dicho; «Martin Alonso; con estos hidalgos hayamonos bien y andemos otros ocho días, e si en estos no hayamos tierra, daremos otra orden en lo que debemos hacer.» ... Cited in: Saturday, 6 October [1492]. He navigated his way to

424-459: A dispute, and is claimed to have left for Spain, from where he advised Columbus on his westward sail. Pinzon is known to have displayed a remarkable confidence in guiding Columbus in his discovery of the New World. No indisputable written records remain, however, to support this early claim to discovery. His nautical experience and his leadership remained patent in the 1508–1536 lawsuits known as

530-699: A friend of Martín Alonso—also had an important influence on the oldest Pinzón brother deciding to support the undertaking, not only morally but also economically. Martín Alonso dismissed the vessels that Columbus had already seized based on the royal order and also dismissed the men he had enrolled, supplying the enterprise with two caravels of his own, the Pinta and the Niña , which he knew from his own experience would be better and more suitable boats. Furthermore, he traveled through Palos, Moguer and Huelva , convincing his relatives and friends to enlist, composing of them

636-522: A la dicha carabela sin su peligro, y dice que alguna pena perdía con saber que Martín Alonso Pinzón era persona esforzada y de buen ingenio. En fin, anduvieron entre día y noche veintinueve leguas. Durante la travesía, demostró sus habilidades de marinero cuando resolvió el problema de la rotura del timón de La Pinta y pudo seguir navegando. ... como no descubrían tierra, los que venían con el dicho Colón se querían amotinar y alzar contra el, diciendo que iban perdidos, y entonces el dicho Colón había dicho

742-828: A la tierra firme y después a las islas. Miércoles, 21 de noviembre ... Este día se apartó Martín Alonso Pinzón con la carabela Pinta, sin obediencia y voluntad del Almirante, por codicia, dice que pensando que un indio que el Almirante había mandado poner en aquella carabela le había de dar mucho oro, y así se fue sin esperar, sin causa de mal tiempo, sino porque quiso. Y dice aquí el Almirante: «otras muchas me tiene hecho y dicho». Martes, 8 de enero Por el viento Este y Sudeste mucho que ventaba no partió este día, por lo cual mandó que se guarneciese la carabela de agua y leña y de todo lo necesario para todo el viaje, porque, aunque tenía voluntad de costear toda la costa de aquella Española que andando el camino pudiese, pero, porque los que puso en las carabelas por capitanes eran hermanos, conviene

848-612: A leader. When the tiller of the Pinta broke en route to the Canary Islands, Columbus, who could not get close enough to help from the Santa María : ...was a bit less worried knowing that Martín Alonso Pinzón was a vigorous and ingenious person. ...he resolved the problem of the broken tiller of the Pinta and was able to continue sailing. When, between 6 and 7 October 1492 Columbus was unable to reestablish discipline among

954-637: A letter to the King and Queen; some have argued that he claimed the glory of the great discoveries for himself, while others defend him from the charge; the letter itself is lost. In any case, he was snubbed by the court and told to only come under the command of Columbus. It is not clear whether Pinzón's letter or Columbus's from Lisbon reached court first, nor is it clear whether the failure to invite Pinzón to court resulted from Columbus's primacy of position, possible accusations by Columbus against Pinzón, or simply reports of Pinzón's illness and death. Pinzón returned home to Palos, arriving on 15 March 1493, precisely

1060-605: A locally based caravel as a grumete (cabin boy). His home, now the Casa Museo de Martín Alonso Pinzón , was on the old royal road to the Monastery of La Rábida . Martín's family contracted a marriage with a resident of the locality named María Álvarez. They had five children: two sons—Arias Pérez and Juan Pinzón, who participated in several expeditions to the Americas—and three daughters—Mayor, Catalina, and Leonor. Leonor,

1166-401: A money of account by 1300. The maravedí de plata (silver maravedí) gradually came to be used as money of account for larger sums, for the value of gold coins, and for the mint price of silver, and eventually it supplanted the sueldo as the main accounting unit. Alfonso XI (1312–1350) did not call any of his coins a maravedí, and henceforth the term was used only as a unit of account and not as

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1272-619: A money of account in Spain until 1847. After Spain's discovery of the Americas, copper maravedís, along with silver reales , were the first coins struck in Spain for the purpose of circulation in the New World colonies. These coins, minted with a special design for specific use of the Americas, were first coined in Seville in 1505 for shipment to the colonial island of Hispaniola the following year, thus giving these coins their distinction as

1378-484: A saber Martín Alonso Pinzón y Vicente Yáñez, y otros que le seguían con soberbia y codicia estimando que todo era ya suyo, no mirando la honra que el Almirante les había hecho y dado, no habían obedecido ni obedecían sus mandamientos, antes hacían y decían muchas cosas no debidas contra él, y el Martín Alonso lo dejó desde el 21 de noviembre hasta el 6 de enero sin causa alguna ni razón sino por su desobediencia, todo lo cual el Almirante había sufrido y callado por dar buen fin

1484-421: A sailor named Martín Pinzón, was the father of the three Pinzón brothers. Their mother was named Mayor Vicente, so the three were full brothers and bore the surnames Pinzón and Vicente ( see Spanish naming customs ). Martín Alonso Pinzón (c. 1441 – c. 31 March 1493) was the oldest of the brothers, and captain of the Pinta on Columbus's first voyage. It appears that at quite a young age he shipped out on

1590-525: A series of accusations of desertion against Pinzón and his brothers, including Vicente who had saved him when the Santa María was shipwrecked. Nonetheless, much of the testimony in the pleitos colombinos , as well as part of the specialized historiography and investigators, does not agree that these things happened in this manner, nor is there any accusation against Pinzón in Columbus's Letter on

1696-507: A stretcher and, as Columbus arrived, his friends took him to a farm that was on the boundary between Palos and Moguer. It is possible that Martín's son, Arias Pérez Pinzón, did not bring him directly to his house in Palos in order to protect him, given that Columbus had threatened him earlier. Another possibility is that this was because Martín did not get along well with Catalina Alonso, the woman who had been living with his father since he became

1802-682: A su viaje, así que, por salir de tan mala compañía, con los cuales dice que cumplía disimular, aunque eran gente desmandada, y aunque tenía dice que consigo muchos hombres de bien, pero no era tiempo de entender en castigo, acordó volverse y no parar más, con la mayor prisa que le fue posible ... Pinz%C3%B3n brothers#The Pinzón family of Palos The Pinzón brothers were Spanish sailors, pirates, explorers and fishermen, natives of Palos de la Frontera , Huelva , Spain . Martín Alonso , Francisco Martín and Vicente Yáñez , participated in Christopher Columbus 's first expedition to

1908-565: A type of customs warehouse, paid the largest tribute of any such facility to the Duke of Medina Sidonia , its primacy being such that it fishermen were recruited from other towns along the coast and two residents of Palos. Juan Venegas and Pedro Alonso Cansino, were placed in charge of giving licenses to fish in the Afro-Atlantic waters from Cabo Bojador to the Río de Oro , which they leased from

2014-477: A very respected old mariner in the town, also had an important influence on Pinzón deciding to support the undertaking, not only morally but also economically. There is no record of any written agreement between Columbus and Pinzón, and the terms of any agreement are lost to history. However, we do have the writings of Fray Bartolomé de las Casas and the testimony of some witnesses. According to Fernández Duro, de las Casas says Columbus offered Pinzón equal honors in

2120-497: A widower, and with whom the father would have two illegitimate children: Francisco and Inés Pinzón. According to testimony, he was brought to the La Rábida Monastery, where he died; he was entombed there, as was his wish. Francisco Martín Pinzón (c. 1445 – c. 1502) was the second of the brothers. On Columbus's first voyage he was the master (second only to the captain) of the Pinta , the first ship to sight land in

2226-473: Is a bit obscure, but this seems to be the sense], and so he went away without waiting, without cause of bad weather, just because he wanted to. And here the Admiral says: «He did and said many other [things] to me». Tuesday, 8 January [1493] With such strong winds from the east and southeast he did not leave that day, because of which he ordered that that caravel be supplied with water and firewood and all that

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2332-418: Is also a possibility that some historians have confused Martín Alonso Pinzón with his brother Francisco, who is more plausibly (but still controversially) believed to have had this particular disease. Conversely, there is the possibility that the first outbreak of syphilis among Europeans with no immunity was much more virulent than subsequently. Fernández Duro further writes that Pinzón's "unpardonable crime"

2438-527: Is testified by the frequent presence of English , Breton , Flemish , and Italian ships. Following in the wake of the Portuguese, the ships of Palos traveled to the Canary Islands and Guinea , with their rich fisheries and the commercial possibility of trade in gold, spices, and slaves. In the second half of the 15th century, Palos reaches a population of three thousand. The alota of Palos,

2544-460: Is that this was because Martín did not get along well with Catalina Alonso, the woman who had been living with his father since he became a widower, and with whom the father would have two illegitimate children: Francisco and Inés Pinzón. According to the testimony of Francisco Medel and Hernán Pérez Mateos, he was brought to the La Rábida Monastery, where he died; he was entombed there, as was his wish. It has been claimed that Pinzón's recurring fever

2650-525: Is the said Juan Martin. Lo primero, si conosçieron a Martin Alonso Pinçon, ya difunto, vezino e natural que fue desta villa de Palos, e a Maria Alvares, su legitima muger, los quales moravan en la calle de Nuestra Señora de la Rabida, e si saben que el dicho Martin Alonso Pinçon e la dicha Maria Alvares, su muger, fueron casados y velados segund horden de la Santa Madre Yglesia, e constante su matrymonio ovieron e procrearon por su hijo legitimo e natural

2756-477: Is to say, the activities of the port were not conducted in any single place, but along the length of the bank of the Río Tinto, because of the large number of ships and relatively high volume of merchandise they had to handle. Progressively, the river became Palos's principal means of connection to the outside world and the port the axis of its relation to the surrounding towns. This maritime orientation modified

2862-413: Is unusual in having three documented plural forms: maravedís , maravedíes and maravedises . The first one is the most straightforward, the second is a variant plural formation found commonly in words ending with a stressed -í, whereas the third is the most unusual and the least recommended ( Royal Spanish Academy 's Diccionario panhispánico de dudas labels it "vulgar in appearance" ). The gold dinar

2968-566: The Plus Ultra flying boat departed in 1926 to cross the Atlantic. This is not the 15th century port. The municipal ordinances of the era ( Ordenanzas Municipales de Palos (1484–1521) ), focused mainly on regulating the town's maritime activities never use the terms puerto (port) or muelle (wharf). The caravels of Palos "arrived at the riverbank" ( "aportaban a la ribera" ), where they discharged their goods and auctioned their fish. That

3074-581: The pleitos colombinos ("Columbian lawsuits"), where the witnesses indicated him as the leader of the comarca (a region comparable to a shire ). He was also famous for his battles against the Portuguese in the War of the Castilian Succession . It is probable that even while in Portugal before coming to Spain, Columbus was aware of Martín Alonso, because he was known for his participation in

3180-627: The Azores . Pinzón arrived in Baiona in Galicia , near Vigo , 1 March 1493; Columbus reached Lisbon on March 4; he later faced problems with the Court for having touched down in Portugal out of necessity in bad weather. Pinzón, despite the bad weather and strong southerly winds, had managed to touch down on Spanish territory, not Portuguese. Believing Columbus to be lost, or trying to overcome him, he sent

3286-663: The Caribbean to search for a passage to the Pacific Ocean . He explored all of the Caribbean coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula . According to the chronicler Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés , Vicente Yáñez died in 1514, probably at the end of September. It is not known precisely where he is buried, but Oviedo states that it is somewhere in the cemetery of Triana. The participation of

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3392-602: The Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand . The Pinzón family were one of the leading families of 14th-century Palos. The family may have come originally from the Kingdom of Aragón , but arrived in Andalusia either from la Montaña (now Cantabria ) or from Asturias . According to some historians, this surname could have been a corruption of Espinzas or Pinzas ("tweezers"). Others say that

3498-455: The New World (generally considered to constitute the discovery of the Americas by Europeans ) and in other voyages of discovery and exploration in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The brothers were sailors along the coast of Huelva, and thanks to their many commercial voyages and piracy along the coast, they were famous along the entire coast. The strategic position offered by

3604-456: The Niña , captained by Vicente, who provided all the help necessary for a successful return voyage. He made several more expeditions to the Americas, the most important being the voyage to the mouth of the Amazon which constituted the discovery of Brazil , in early 1500. That expedition was an economic failure. In 1505 he was made the governor of Puerto Rico . Later, in 1506, he returned to

3710-469: The Santa María was wrecked on a shoal; Pinzón's brother Vicente in command of the Niña played a key part in rescuing the sailors and Columbus himself. Columbus, giving up on Pinzón, began sailing homeward 4 January, leaving behind 38 men, all of whom died before Columbus's return nine months later. The Niña and Pinta sighted and rejoined one another 6 January 1493, and, after a furious argument in which according to at least one witness, Pinzón objected to

3816-550: The Santa María wrecked on 25 December, Vicente Yáñez in command of the Niña went to the rescue of those left in this difficult situation. For these and other acts, the Pinzón brothers have a very notable place in the history of the discovery of America, and are considered by historians as "co-discoverers of America", in that without their help, support, and courage, Columbus probably could not have achieved his enterprise of discovery, at least not in that time and place. Although

3922-410: The War of the Castilian Succession . It is probable that even while in Portugal before coming to Spain, Columbus was aware of Martín Alonso, because he was known for his participation in the war, as well as for his incursions into the Canary Islands and Guinea. He was captain of the Pinta on Columbus's first voyage and supplied half a million ( "medio cuento" ) maravedís in coin toward the cost of

4028-640: The Yucatán in 1509 he married Ana Núñez de Trujillo, with whom he lived in Triana (across the river from Seville ), probably until his death. The first we hear of Vicente Yáñez is when he is denounced for assaults on Aragonese boats, some with his oldest brother, when he was only 15 years old. This was between 1477 and 1479, during the War of the Castilian Succession (with Portugal) in which Palos participated actively and through which its habitual shortage of grain

4134-625: The morabitino in the Kingdom of Portugal and as maravedí in the remaining Iberian Kingdoms. Alfonso's gold marabotin or maravedí retained inscriptions in Arabic but had the letters ALF at the bottom. It weighed about 3.8 grams. In Castile, the maravedí de oro soon became the accounting unit for gold, alongside the sueldo (from solidus ) for silver and the dinero (from [denarius] ) for billon ( vellón in Spanish). The gold content of

4240-520: The pleitos colombinos , a royal prosecutor argued that Pinzón had played a more important role in the discovery of the Indies than Columbus himself. All evidence—the remarks in Columbus's diary, the testimony in the pleitos colombinos —is that on the outward voyage, relations between Columbus and Pinzón remained positive. Once among the Caribbean islands, that began to change. On 21 November 1492, off

4346-480: The "Andalusian voyages" of discovery. After contracting with the crown, on 19 November 1499 Vicente left the port of Palos with four small caravels, crewed largely by his relatives and friends, among them his brother Francisco and also the famous physician of Palos Garcí Fernández , an early supporter of Columbus's first voyage. On this voyage, they discovered Brazil and the Amazon River. On 5 September 1501

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4452-401: The 38 men being "left so far from Spain, being so few, because they could not be provided for and would be lost", and Columbus threatened to hang Pinzón, the two ships headed together back toward Spain on 8 January. Columbus's published diary of the voyage was heavily edited by Bartolomé de las Casas, so it is impossible to know what was actually written at the time and what was added later, but

4558-419: The Admiral had suffered and been silent to bring a good end to his voyage, so that, to leave behind such bad company, with whom he says that it was necessary to dissimulate, although they were lawless people, and though he had to say while with them that they were good men*, because it was not the time to speak of punishment, he agreed to return and stop no more, as quickly as was possible ... Nonetheless, much of

4664-627: The Algerian coast. In 1496 they brought money and supplies to the Spanish troops fighting in Naples. In 1498 he participated in Columbus's third voyage, in which for the first time the Admiral arrived on the continent of South America . Later in 1498, the Crown decided to end Columbus's monopoly on voyages of discovery. The series of voyages by other mariners are generally known as the "minor voyages" or

4770-544: The Americas. Although he was less known than his two brothers, he played a major role both in voyages of discovery and in service to the Crown. His personal and family story is confused, because several relatives shared this same name, frequently leading historians to confuse them. Nonetheless, he seems to have been married to Juana Martín and to have had at least one daughter, who we find documented as "an orphan" and "poor" ( "huérfana y pobre" ). With his brother Vicente, he made several voyages to Italy and Africa in service to

4876-461: The Americas—and three girls—Mayor, Catalina, and Leonor. Leonor, the youngest, suffered frequent attacks of what was then called " gota coral " and would now be called epilepsy . A French tradition holds that Alonso Pinzón sailed to the New World with the navigator Jean Cousin , and that together they discovered the continent in 1488, four years before Columbus. Back in Dieppe , Pinzón left Cousin in

4982-472: The Atlantic and its confluence with the Odiel . The port probably grew simultaneously with the town, first as an anchorage for small vessels engaged almost exclusively in fishing on the beaches and estuaries and occasional commercial transactions to supply the small population. For many, the expression port of Palos brings to mind the present-day port with its old wharf, the muelle de la Calzadilla from which

5088-586: The Crown signed an agreement with Vicente in which, among other things, he was named Captain and Governor of the Cabo de Santa María de la Consolación, later Cabo de Santo Agostinho . In 1502, Francisco traveled with Columbus on his fourth and final voyage; it is on this voyage he is believed to have died by drowning. Vicente continued to travel back and forth across the Atlantic to fulfill his obligations as Captain General and Governor. He also participated as one of

5194-553: The Crown. In November 1493, together with Juan de Sevilla, Rodrigo de Quexo, and Fernando Quintero, he led an assault on the Algerian coast. In 1496 he brought money and supplies to the Spanish troops fighting in Naples . Later, he participated in Columbus's third and fourth voyages, on the last of which, according to his companion on many voyages, Rodrigo Álvarez, he died by drowning. Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (c. 1462 – c. September 1514)

5300-519: The Crown. The king finally conceded to the Pinzóns, their descendants and family members a coat of arms consisting of a shield with three caravels, natural, on the sea; from each a hand points to an island representing the first land discovered in the New World. Around that, a border with anchors and crowns. First, if they knew Martin Alonso Pinçon, now deceased, resident of and born in the town of Palos, and Maria Alvares, his legitimage wife, who dies in

5406-471: The First Voyage , which Columbus wrote on his return. For Martín Alonso the return voyage was lethal, as the ships suffered from a great storm, which resulted in great fatigue and exhaustion, accumulated over many days of sailing. Because of this, Martín's recurrent fevers from which he suffered reactivated and he died a few days after returning from the New World. In fact, he was taken from his ship in

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5512-487: The Pinzón brothers was crucial to Columbus's first voyage, especially in that few were disposed to enlist with Columbus until Martín Alonso, a wealthy and famous shipbuilder in the Tinto-Odiel region, gave his support to the enterprise. Once Martín Alonso gave his support, he undertook a veritable campaign on behalf of the undertaking. His support and that of his brothers and of other distinguished families of mariners in

5618-596: The Royal Crown to treat you as a brother." On 3 August 1492, the Santa María , Pinta , and Niña left Palos on their voyage of discovery. Admiral Columbus captained the flagship Santa María , Pinzón was captain of the Pinta ; his middle brother Francisco was master. It was from the Pinta that Rodrigo de Triana would be the first to sight land in the Americas . During the voyage, Pinzón demonstrated on several occasions his gifts as an expert mariner and as

5724-409: The Tinto-Odiel for the risky voyage. He was chosen as captain of the Niña and distinguished himself during the voyage. This involved, among other accomplishments, helping to put down several attempts at mutiny together with his older brother. He provided support, both to Columbus and the rest of the crew, after the Santa María was wrecked. With his flagship gone, the admiral made his return voyage in

5830-478: The best crew possible. He captained the caravel Pinta , from which Rodrigo de Triana was to be the first person to sight American soil. Columbus, in his diary, spoke favorably of Pinzón on several occasions. Nonetheless, after they had discovered the West Indies , the relationship between the two changed radically from 21 November 1492, when Martín Alonso separated from Columbus. Admiral Columbus launched

5936-623: The best crew possible. According to testimony in the pleitos colombinos , he "brought such diligence to secure and animate the people as if what were discovered were for him and his sons." Among those he recruited were Cristóbal Quintero from Palos and the Niño brothers from Moguer. At this time, Pinzón and Columbus seemed quite close. In the pleitos colombinos , witness Alonso Gallego from Huelva remembered hearing Columbus say, "Mister Martín Alonso Pinzón, we are going on this voyage which, if we go on with it and God reveals new lands to us, I promise by

6042-513: The brothers, but the third brother, the lesser-known Francisco Martín, was aboard the Pinta as its master. It was thanks to Martín Alonso that the seamen of the Tinto - Odiel were motivated to participate in Columbus's undertaking. He also supported the project economically, supplying money from his personal fortune. Francisco, master of the Pinta , appears to have participated in Columbus's third and fourth voyages of discovery as well as in

6148-445: The change of course on 6 October 1492. This change brought the expedition to landfall on Guanahani on 12 October 1492. These and other acts by Pinzón and by his brothers, especially Vicente, have led historians to see the brothers as "co-discoverers of America", in that without their help, support, and courage, Columbus probably could not have achieved his enterprise of discovery, at least not in that time and place. At one point during

6254-464: The coast of Cuba , Pinzón failed to follow a direct order of Columbus to change course. He probably sailed off on his own trying to make individual discoveries and to find treasure, although Cesáreo Fernández Duro argues that the initial separation may have been accidental, a matter of missed signals. (Asensio takes Fernández Duro strongly to task for not adequately explaining the length of the separation; Fernández Duro responds that Pinzón simply continued

6360-514: The custom of the place. Tradition in Palos indicates that he lived on the Calle de la Ribera. From a young age, he learned the art of navigation from his oldest brother, and from adolescence he participated in combat and in military assaults, as he happened to reach this age during the War of the Castilian Succession. He married twice, first to Teresa Rodríguez, with whom he had two daughters, Ana Rodríguez and Juana González. After his final return from

6466-608: The desired passage, he rounded the Yucatan Peninsula and entered into the Gulf of Mexico to the extent of 23.5º north latitude, bringing about one of the first European contacts with the Aztec civilization. Upon returning from this voyage, Vicente Yáñez married for the second time and settled in Triana. In 1513 he testified against Columbus in the pleitos colombinos . In 1514 he was ordered to accompany Pedrarias Dávila to Darién, but he

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6572-426: The diary launches a series of accusations against Pinzón beginning with his separation on November 21: Wednesday, 21 November [1492] ...This day Martín Alonso Pinzón departed with the caravel Pinta, without the obedience and will of the Admiral, out of greed, he says that an Indian that the Admiral had ordered to be put in that caravel had told him where to get much gold [the Spanish here, le había de dar mucho oro ,

6678-409: The discovery of Brazil . Although they sometimes quarreled with Columbus, on several occasions the Pinzón brothers were instrumental in preventing mutiny against him, particularly during the first voyage. On 6 October, Martín intervened in a dispute between Columbus and the crew by proposing an altered course (which Columbus eventually accepted) and thus calmed simmering unrest. A few days later, on

6784-533: The era of the greatest splendor of the port town of Palos de la Frontera, participating in the majority of the activities undertaken by that port. The historic port of Palos was a river port, protected from winds and from pirate attacks, both major hazards to the ports of the time. It was located on the lower portion of the Río Tinto known then as the Canal de Palos, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from its mouth at

6890-631: The experts brought together by the Crown in the Junta de Navegantes in Burgos in 1508 to take up anew the subject of the search for a passage to the Spice Islands . On his final voyage , along with captain Juan Díaz de Solís , he followed the coasts of Darién , Veragua and the Gulf of Paria , now Venezuela , Colombia , Panama , Costa Rica , Nicaragua , Honduras and Guatemala . Not finding

6996-400: The first, but because his name was a common one, the facts of his life cannot be easily sorted out from those of contemporaries with the same name. Vicente Yáñez, the youngest of the three brothers, besides participating in Columbus's first voyage, once Columbus's monopoly on transatlantic trade was ended, made several voyages to the Americas on his own account and is generally credited with

7102-457: The historic Atlantic port of Palos, from which expeditions had set forth to the African coasts as well as to the war against Portugal , for which most of the armadas set forth from this town, organized, on many occasions, by this family. Martín Alonso and Vicente Yáñez, captains of the caravels La Pinta and La Niña , respectively on Columbus's first voyage, are the best known of

7208-488: The mainland and later to the islands. Sábado, 6 de octubre. Navegó su camino al Oeste o Güeste, que es lo mismo. Anduvieron cuarenta leguas entre día y noche; contó a la gente treinta y tres leguas. Esta noche dijo Martín Alonso que sería bien navegar a la cuarta del Oeste, a la parte del Sudoeste; y al Almirante pareció que no decía esto Martín Alonso por la isla de Cipango, y el Almirante veía que si la erraban que no pudieran tan presto tomar tierra y que era mejor una vez ir

7314-495: The maravedí fell to a gram during the reign of James I of Aragon (1213–1276), and it kept falling, eventually becoming a silver coin under Alfonso X of Castile (1252–1284). By this time the word maravedí was being used for a specific coin officially, for any coin colloquially, and as a synonym for money itself, resulting in a certain confusion in interpreting 13th-century references to money, values, and coinage. Alfonso X, for example, made three issues of billon, in each of which

7420-457: The men of Moguer to unite around the enterprise. During the voyage of discovery, they demonstrated on several occasions their gifts as expert mariners and as leaders, in that they knew how to master the most diverse and difficult situations. For example, they were able to continue sailing, even after the damage that occurred to the Pinta when the tiller broke, before they reached the Canary Islands, and when, between 6 and 7 October 1492 Columbus

7526-594: The monarchy. Thanks to his prestige as a shipowner and expert sailor and his fame throughout the Tinto - Odiel region, he was able to enlist an appropriate crew. Signing on, he dismissed the vessels that Columbus had already seized based on the royal order and also dismissed the men he had enrolled, supplying the enterprise with two caravels of his own, the Pinta and the Niña , which he knew from his own experience would be better and more suitable boats. Furthermore, he traveled through Palos, Moguer and Huelva , convincing his relatives and friends to enlist, composing of them

7632-442: The name of a coin. In 1537 it became the smallest Spanish unit of account, the thirty-fourth part of a real . In the new world, nonetheless, there are documents which testify to the reduction of their value to less than the thirtieth part of a real. This reduction was on account of the cost and risk of their transportation from Spain, before the establishment of the first mint houses of Mexico and Santo Domingo. The maravedí remained

7738-641: The new coin was called a maravedí. His basic silver coin of 1258–1271 was also called a maravedí ( maravedí de plata ). It weighed 6.00 g and contained 3.67 g of fine silver. It was worth 30 dineros. At that time, the money of account was the Maravedí of 15 Sueldos or 180 Dineros, so that one maravedí as an accounting unit was worth six silver maravedí coins. The silver maravedí money of account represented (according to one interpretation) about 22 g of silver in 1258. This had fallen to 11 g by 1271, to 3 g by 1286, and to 1.91 g in 1303. The gold maravedí had disappeared as

7844-426: The night of 9 October 1492, the brothers were forced to intercede once again, and this time they proposed the compromise that if no land was sighted during the next three days, the expedition would return to Spain. On the morning of the 12th, land (there is some question of the location: see Guanahani ) was in fact sighted by Juan Rodriguez Bermejo (also known as Rodrigo de Triana ). The Pinzón brothers lived in

7950-508: The oldest of the Pinzón brothers, Martín Alonso, died a few days after returning from Columbus's first voyage, that was by no means the end of the participation of the Pinzóns in voyages of discovery and other sea journeys. Francisco and Vicente made various voyages to Italy and Africa in service to the Crown. As mentioned above , in November 1493, Francisco, along with Juan de Sevilla, Rodrigo de Quexo, and Fernando Quintero, led an assault on

8056-408: The prior course, and if Columbus wanted, he should have had a pretty fair idea where to find him over the next several days.) During his separate travels he discovered new land; while all of the island geography of the first voyage is open to question, it is believed that the land was Haiti . 19th-century historian José María Asensio, at least, blamed Pinzón's absence for the fact that on 25 December,

8162-436: The region served to recruit the necessary crew: sailors from Palos, Huelva, and even from beyond Andalusia. The testimony in the pleitos colombinos indicates that the Pinzón brothers, above all Martín: ... brought such diligence to secure and animate the people as if what were discovered were for him and his sons. Among these other families, the Niño brothers of Moguer stand out: their prestige and influence brought

8268-436: The riverbank because the people there were as tightly packed as in the town proper (the expression used is "tan aparejadas como en la Villa" : aparejadas is nautical Spanish for something that has been furnished or supplied). Beginning in the first third of the 15th century, the port of Palos experienced continual economic growth, obtaining an importance well beyond the local area and achieving even international dimensions, as

8374-618: The said Martín Alonso Pinzón had responded to him; «Sir; hang half a dozen of them and throw them into the sea, and if you dare not, I and my brothers will get up close to them and do it, that an armada that left with the mandate of such high princes not have to return without good news.» And that he knew that with that they would regain their spirits; and the said Columbus had said; «Martin Alonso; lets make things good with these gentlemen and travel another eight days, and if in that time we don't find land, we will give another order on what we ought to do.» ... At that time, Pinzón suggested to Columbus

8480-442: The same day the Niña reached the voyage's starting point. Exhausted and suffering from a recurrent fever, he was taken from his ship in a stretcher. As Columbus arrived, his friends took him to a farm on the boundary between Palos and Moguer. It is possible that Martín's son, Arias Pérez Pinzón, did not bring him directly to his house in Palos in order to protect him, given that Columbus had threatened him earlier. Another possibility

8586-440: The shape of the town, previously a conical area centered around the church and castle. The Calle de la Ribera ("Riverbank Street") connecting the town center to the port became the town's principal artery, and the port the authentic heart of the local economy. On the eve of Columbus's first voyage, the entire riverbank between the present-day wharfs near the center of Palos and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away at La Rábida Monastery

8692-522: The street of Nuestra Señora de la Rabida, and if they knew said Martin Alonso Pinçon and said Maria Alvares, his wife, were husband and wife under the order of the Church of the Santa Madre, and in the course of their marriage procreated and produced their legitimate and natural son Juan Martin Pinçon who now lives in the town of Huelva, and in having had him they were taken and commonly reputed, and that

8798-408: The testimony in the pleitos colombinos , as well as part of the specialized historiography and investigators, does not agree that these things happened in this manner, nor is there any accusation against Pinzón in Columbus's Letter on the First Voyage , which Columbus wrote during his return. During the voyage back to Spain, Pinzón's ship was separated from Columbus in stormy conditions, southwest of

8904-413: The time that there was a war with Portugal all the Portuguese feared him because every day he took them and he lit them [set their boats on fire] and he made much war upon them .... Spanish maraved%C3%AD The maravedí ( Spanish pronunciation: [maɾaβeˈði] ) or maravedi ( Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐɾɐvɨˈði] ), (from Arabic : الدينار المرابطي Almoravid dinar ),

9010-549: The tired and discouraged crew of the Santa María , Martín Alonso with his gift of command managed to resolve the situation. As the Hernán Pérez Mateos would testify over forty years later: ... as they did not discover land, those who went with the said Columbus wanted to mutiny and rise against him, saying they were lost, and then the said Columbus had said to Martín Alonso what was going on among these people, and what it seemed to him they ought to do; and that

9116-416: The true family name was Martín , a widespread name with a long tradition in the area, the name of their grandfather, a sailor and diver in Palos, who was dubbed Pinzón when he went blind; that, combined with his hobby of singing gave him the nickname Pinzón , the Spanish word for chaffinch , because owners of chaffinches sometimes blinded them, supposedly making them sing more beautifully. His son, also

9222-400: The voyage and half the profits, and Diego Pinzón Colmenero testified the same in the pleitos colombinos ; Francisco Medel testified that he heard him offer Pinzón "whatever he asked for and desired". As a strong sign of his commitment to Columbus's plan, Pinzón put up half a million ( "medio cuento" ) maravedís in coin toward the cost of the voyage, half of the amount that had been put up by

9328-470: The voyage. Thanks to his prestige as a shipowner and expert sailor and his fame throughout the Tinto-Odiel region, he was able to enlist the crew required for Columbus's first voyage. On 23 May 1492 the royal provision was read out to the residents of Palos, by which the Catholic Monarchs ordered that certain residents deliver two caravels to Columbus and travel with him on his voyage that he

9434-483: The war, as well as for his incursions into the Afro-Atlantic waters in the wake of the Portuguese, traveling to the Canary Islands and Guinea , with their rich fisheries and the commercial possibility of trade in gold, spices, and slaves. On 23 May 1492 a royal provision was read out to the residents of Palos, by which the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand ordered that certain residents deliver two caravels to Columbus and travel with him on his voyage that he

9540-404: The west. Then went forty leagues between day and night; he told the people thirty-three leagues. That night Martín Alonso said it would be set course southwest by west; and to the Admiral it seemed that this Martín Alonso said this because of the island of Cipango (Japan), and the Admiral saw that if they missed it they could not soon find land quickly and that it would be better off to go first to

9646-405: The youngest, suffered frequent attacks of what was then called " gota coral " and would now be called epilepsy . His nautical experience and his leadership remained patent in the 1508–1536 lawsuits known as the pleitos colombinos , where the witnesses indicated him as the leader of the comarca (a region comparable to a shire ). He was also famous for his battles against the Portuguese in

9752-424: Was syphilis . The theory that syphilis is of New World origin and that it was first brought back to Europe by Columbus's crew has been longstanding, and long controversial. Some recent genetic evidence restores credence to the theory. Even so, even if Pinzón contracted it on the voyage, it is extremely unlikely that it was the cause of his death. Tertiary syphilis does not normally show up for 3 to 15 years. There

9858-572: Was a sailor named Martín Pinzón; his mother was named Mayor Vicente. Born in Palos around 1441, it appears that at quite a young age Pinzón shipped out on a locally based caravel as a grumete (cabin boy). His home, now the Casa Museo de Martín Alonso Pinzón, was on the old royal road to the Monastery of La Rábida . Martín's family contracted a marriage with a resident of the locality named María Álvarez. They had five children: two boys—Arias Pérez and Juan, who participated in several expeditions to

9964-449: Was aggravated: its residents complained of hunger. Royal orders to various places that were supposed to supply Palos with cereals were disobeyed. The Pinzón brothers, taking on their responsibilities as natural leaders of the district, attacked caravels that were transporting mainly grain. Vicente immediately supported his brother, Martín Alonso, when Martin decided to back Columbus's undertaking. The two worked together to enlist men from

10070-505: Was an active port. The caravels anchored in the center of the river, where the depth was sufficient for their drafts, and paid for the rights to anchor there. From the caravels, boats and dinghies loaded or unloaded the goods "tying up to the shore" ( "amarrando en la ribera" ). The port had a population density similar to that to the town proper, from what we can deduce from the Ordenanza Municipal , which prohibited weapons on

10176-524: Was first struck in Iberia under Abd-ar-Rahman III , Emir of Córdoba (912–961). During the 11th century, the dinar became known as the morabit , morabotin or morabetino throughout Europe. In the 12th century, it was copied by the Christian rulers Sancho I of Portugal (1154-1211), Ferdinand II of León (1157–1188) and Alfonso VIII of Castile (1158–1214). The new version of the coin became known as

10282-475: Was making "by command of Their Highnesses" ( "por mandado de Sus Altezas" ) and that the town should respect the royal decision. However, the locals did not comply. The sailors of Palos had no confidence in embarking on this adventure with Columbus, who was largely unknown to them. Independent of their greater or lesser credence in his ideas, the men of Palos found it difficult to support the Genovese sailor if he

10388-466: Was making "by command of Their Highnesses" ( "por mandado de Sus Altezas" ) and that the town should respect the royal decision. The locals did not comply. The sailors of Palos had no confidence in embarking on this adventure with Columbus, who was largely unknown to them. Independent of their greater or lesser credence in his ideas, the men of Palos found it difficult to support the Genovese sailor if he

10494-654: Was necessary for the entire voyage, because although he intended to travel by ship along that whole Hispaniola coast as far as he could, but, because those he put in the caravels for commanders were brothers, to wit Martín Alonso Pinzón and Vicente Yáñez, and others who followed him with arrogance and greed estimating that everything was already theirs, not looking at the honor the Admiral had given them, they had not obeyed and did not obey his commands, before they had said and done many unmerited things against him, and this Martín Alonso left him from 21 November until 6 January without any cause or reason except disobedience, all of which

10600-470: Was not accompanied by a mariner known and respected in the town. The venture—risky and, above all, of uncertain profit—did not present great attractions. Opposition or indifference to Columbus's project was general. The Franciscans of the Monastery of La Rábida put Columbus in touch with Martín Alonso Pinzón. Pero Vázquez de la Frontera , an old mariner in the town—very respected for his experience, and

10706-426: Was not accompanied by a mariner known and respected in the town. The venture—risky and, above all, of uncertain profit—did not present great attractions. Opposition or indifference to Columbus's project was general. At about this time, Pinzón returned from a routine commercial voyage to Rome . The Franciscans of the Monastery of La Rábida put Columbus in touch with Pinzón. Pinzón's friend Pero Vázquez de la Frontera,

10812-408: Was not well enough and begged to be excused. That was on 14 March 1514, and it is the last primary source document in which he is mentioned. In 1519 a petition to Charles I of Spain , headed by Juan Rodríguez Mafra , requested the grant of a coat of arms to the Pinzóns and other mariners of Palos, exposing the lamentable situation of the descendants of those mariners who had offered such service to

10918-564: Was that he had the luck or skill to obtain more gold than Columbus. Along with his brother, Martín Alonso Pínzon is the namesake of Pinzón Island in the Galápagos . He was portrayed by Tchéky Karyo in 1492: Conquest of Paradise and by Robert Davi in Christopher Columbus: The Discovery , both released in 1992 . Lunes, 6 de agosto ...Viose allí el Almirante en gran turbación por no poder ayudar

11024-514: Was the name of various Iberian coins of gold and then silver between the 11th and 14th centuries and the name of different Iberian accounting units between the 11th and 19th centuries. The word maravedí comes from marabet or marabotin , a variety of the gold dinar struck in al-Andalus by, and named after, the Almoravid dynasty (Arabic: المرابطون , romanized:  al-Murābitūn sing. مرابط Murābit ). The Spanish word maravedí

11130-469: Was the youngest brother. He was captain of the Niña on the first voyage of discovery. He later made other discoveries on his own account; historians consider him the discoverer of Brazil along with his cousin Diego de Lepe . Considerably younger than his brothers, it is likely that his name Yáñez came from Rodrigo Yáñez, a bailiff ( alguacil ) of Palos who would then have been his godfather, according to

11236-447: Was unable to reestablish discipline among the tired and discouraged crew of the Santa María , Martín Alonso with his gift of command managed to resolve the situation. Martín Alonso suggested to Columbus the change of course on 6 October 1492; A few days later, on 9 October he proposed a compromise that won a few more days from the restless crew. The course he urged brought the expedition to landfall on Guanahani on 12 October 1492. When

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