135-516: The Palm Trees Park , also known simply as Las Palmeras or As Palmeiras , is a public park in the heart of Pontevedra in Spain. It is the most representative and emblematic green area in the city centre , together with the Alameda de Pontevedra . The 19th-century project to enlarge the old St. Joseph's field by the architect Alejandro Sesmero, which was not finally carried out, was the basis for
270-531: A Genoese dialect ( Ligurian ) as his first language, though Columbus probably never wrote in it. His name in 15th-century Genoese was Cristoffa Corombo , in Italian, Cristoforo Colombo , and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón . In one of his writings, he says he went to sea at 14. In 1470, the family moved to Savona , where Domenico took over a tavern. Some modern authors have argued that he
405-490: A marina close to its historic centre . At present, Pontevedra is a city in full revival. It has become the flagship city of the network of walkable cities and one of the cities in the world where children live best, known as The City of Children . Pontevedra is an important administrative, political, judicial, military, historical and cultural centre. In the 16th century it was the largest city in Galicia . Nowadays it
540-521: A Free Zone and a Development Pole to the neighbouring city of Vigo, a rare case in Spain (for a city that was not a provincial capital), which favoured the economic development of this city in the province of Pontevedra to the detriment of the provincial capital, Pontevedra, becoming rival cities. The recovery of the local economy only partially began in the 1960s, with the introduction of some industrial activity. However, these very activities would later cause serious environmental and health concerns, forcing
675-562: A degree of longitude along the equator) spanned 56.67 Arabic miles (equivalent to 66.2 nautical miles, 122.6 kilometers or 76.2 mi), but he did not realize that this was expressed in the Arabic mile (about 1,830 meters or 1.14 mi) rather than the shorter Roman mile (about 1,480 m) with which he was familiar. Columbus therefore estimated the size of the Earth to be about 75% of Eratosthenes's calculation. Third, most scholars of
810-536: A five-week voyage across the ocean. On 7 October, the crew spotted "[i]mmense flocks of birds". On 11 October, Columbus changed the fleet's course to due west, and sailed through the night, believing land was soon to be found. At around 02:00 the following morning, a lookout on the Pinta , Rodrigo de Triana , spotted land. The captain of the Pinta , Martín Alonso Pinzón , verified the sight of land and alerted Columbus. Columbus later maintained that he had already seen
945-707: A high quality of life. An island on the Lérez, opposite a remarkable cable-stayed bridge dating from 1995 (the Tirantes Bridge , the Strap Bridge ) and next to the modern Pontevedra Auditorium and Convention Centre shelters the city's green lung, the famous Island of Sculptures park. It is a space where international artists such as Robert Morris , Ulrich Rückriem , Anne and Patrick Poirier , Giovanni Anselmo , Richard Long , Ian Hamilton Finlay or Jenny Holzer have left their works. Another large park,
1080-574: A journey west. Columbus left Castile in August 1492 with three ships and made landfall in the Americas on 12 October, ending the period of human habitation in the Americas now referred to as the pre-Columbian era . His landing place was an island in the Bahamas , known by its native inhabitants as Guanahani . He then visited the islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola , establishing a colony in what
1215-850: A light on the land a few hours earlier, thereby claiming for himself the lifetime pension promised by Ferdinand and Isabella to the first person to sight land. Columbus called this island (in what is now the Bahamas) San Salvador (meaning "Holy Savior"); the natives called it Guanahani . Christopher Columbus's journal entry of 12 October 1492 states: I saw some who had marks of wounds on their bodies and I made signs to them asking what they were; and they showed me how people from other islands nearby came there and tried to take them, and how they defended themselves; and I believed and believe that they come here from tierra firme to take them captive. They should be good and intelligent servants, for I see that they say very quickly everything that
1350-583: A mistress in 1487, a 20-year-old orphan named Beatriz Enríquez de Arana . It is likely that Beatriz met Columbus when he was in Córdoba , a gathering place for Genoese merchants and where the court of the Catholic Monarchs was located at intervals. Beatriz, unmarried at the time, gave birth to Columbus's second son, Fernando Columbus , in July 1488, named for the monarch of Aragon. Columbus recognized
1485-480: A nearby smaller island, which he named Mariagalante , now a part of Guadeloupe and called Marie-Galante . Other islands named by Columbus on this voyage were Montserrat , Antigua , Saint Martin , the Virgin Islands , as well as many others. On 17 November, Columbus first sighted the eastern coast of the island of Puerto Rico , known to its native Taino people as Borikén . His fleet sailed along
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#17327656631411620-468: A pedestrian city centre, which includes the old town and the city centre or first urban expansion area with streets such as General Gutiérrez Mellado and Daniel de la Sota among many others and squares such as Glorieta de Compostela or Concepción Arenal , which, together with parks such as Las Palmeras (the Palm Trees Park) and squares, make the city very pleasant to walk in and give it
1755-399: A result, 65% of trips in the city centre are made on foot. Pontevedra was recognized in 2016 as one of the 15 best cycling cities in the world. The urban model of the city of Pontevedra follows the models of other European cities such as Amsterdam , Bruges or Copenhagen . The urban transformation of Pontevedra and measures to reduce motorized traffic in the city centre have reduced by 67%
1890-588: A son, Ferdinand . Largely self-educated, Columbus was knowledgeable in geography, astronomy, and history. He developed a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies , hoping to profit from the lucrative spice trade . After the Granada War , and Columbus's persistent lobbying in multiple kingdoms, the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II , agreed to sponsor
2025-567: A total of 4818 foreigners resided in the city, of which, by continent, the most important were citizens of America mainly from South America and especially from Venezuela , Colombia and Brazil , although also from Peru , Argentina , Dominican Republic and United States and citizens from Europe , mainly citizens from other European Union countries, such as Portugal , Italy , Romania , United Kingdom , France and Germany . Behind them are African citizens, mainly from Morocco and Senegal , and Asians from China . Pontevedra has
2160-443: A total population of 83,260 (as of 2020). This results in a relative high density of population of 710.1 inhabitants per square kilometre. More than two-thirds of the population live in the city, and less than one-third in the rural parishes. The population of Pontevedra is aging, with generational replacement is not necessarily assured, although the city's population has been gradually growing since 1999. Broken down by age, 15.93% of
2295-514: A variety of ways. Columbus often wrote about seeking gold in the log books of his voyages and writes about acquiring it "in such quantity that the sovereigns... will undertake and prepare to go conquer the Holy Sepulcher " in a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy . Columbus often wrote about converting all races to Christianity. Abbas Hamandi argues that Columbus was motivated by the hope of "[delivering] Jerusalem from Muslim hands" by "using
2430-515: A wool weaver who worked in Genoa and Savona , and owned a cheese stand at which young Christopher worked. His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa . He had three brothers— Bartholomew , Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo (also called Diego) —as well as a sister, Bianchinetta. Bartholomew ran a cartography workshop in Lisbon for at least part of his adulthood. His native language is presumed to have been
2565-522: Is a major military and commercial harbour 7 km away. The Pontevedra marina is close to the old town and the commercial and fishing port of Marín and Ria de Pontevedra , 5 kilometres west of the city centre. Thanks to a remarkable old town , the surrounding landscape and its former medieval port, Pontevedra has been defined as a "charming city" and "an authentic Galician city". Tourist attractions include many religious and civil buildings as well as picturesque medieval squares. The medieval squares of
2700-519: Is about 20 km (12 mi) wide from north to south. The city sits at the end of the ria that bears its name, occupying the valleys of the Lérez and Tomeza rivers. It extends southwards to the mouth of river Verdugo in Ponte Sampaio. It is surrounded by four mountainous regions divided by two faults , one stretching north–south and one from northeast to southwest. To the north it borders
2835-662: Is bounded by the large buildings of Gran Vía de Montero Ríos to the north, by Avenida Reina Victoria-Eugenia to the west, by the provincial branch of the Ministry of Defence to the south and by Marquis of Riestra street to the east, where the Villa Pilar mansion is located. The Palm Trees Park includes a central alley flanked by palm trees , the Vincenti Gardens and the Columbus Gardens . In
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#17327656631412970-619: Is known that in the autumn of 1477, he sailed on a Portuguese ship from Galway to Lisbon, where he found his brother Bartholomew, and they continued trading for the Centurione family. Columbus based himself in Lisbon from 1477 to 1485. In 1478, the Centuriones sent Columbus on a sugar-buying trip to Madeira. He married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz , daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrello , a Portuguese nobleman of Lombard origin, who had been
3105-529: Is marked by a large presence of administrative services ( provincial Administrative Complex and provincial branches of the central government ), justice ( provincial court and provincial judicial complex ), political ( Pontevedra provincial council , provincial government delegation ), military (provincial defence delegation, BRILAT) and cultural ( Pontevedra Museum , Pontevedra Auditorium and Convention Centre , Principal Theatre , faculty of Fine Arts , Afundación cultural centre , Café Moderno ). The name of
3240-494: Is now Haiti . Columbus returned to Castile in early 1493, with captured natives. Word of his voyage soon spread throughout Europe. Columbus made three further voyages to the Americas, exploring the Lesser Antilles in 1493, Trinidad and the northern coast of South America in 1498, and the east coast of Central America in 1502. Many names he gave to geographical features, particularly islands, are still in use. He gave
3375-428: Is rainy, especially at the end of autumn and winter, with an annual average precipitation of 1,700 to 1,900 millimetres (66.9 to 74.8 in), and around 134 rainy days per year. Summer is drier, generally speaking, making Pontevedra the sunniest city in Galicia with 2248 hours of sunshine per year. The municipality of Pontevedra is composed of the city of Pontevedra and fifteen rural parishes in close proximity, with
3510-541: Is said to them; and I believe they would become Christians very easily, for it seemed to me that they had no religion. Our Lord pleasing, at the time of my departure I will take six of them from here to Your Highnesses in order that they may learn to speak. Columbus called the inhabitants of the lands that he visited Los Indios (Spanish for "Indians"). He initially encountered the Lucayan , Taíno , and Arawak peoples. Noting their gold ear ornaments, Columbus took some of
3645-530: Is subject to occasional Atlantic storms in winter. These are characterised by a quick drop in temperature, rain and gales. With eleven of the twelve months above 10 °C (50 °F) Pontevedra is in the maritime subtropical climate zone under the Trewartha climate classification , a classification it falls short of under the Köppen classification due to the cool summer nights. Overall Pontevedra, as Galicia,
3780-577: Is the anglicization of the Latin Christophorus Columbus . Growing up on the coast of Liguria , he went to sea at a young age and traveled widely, as far north as the British Isles and as far south as what is now Ghana . He married Portuguese noblewoman Filipa Moniz Perestrelo , who bore a son, Diego , and was based in Lisbon for several years. He later took a Castilian mistress, Beatriz Enríquez de Arana , who bore
3915-649: Is the city with the youngest population in Galicia and northwest Spain and the Galician city that attracts the most people to live in, together with Santiago de Compostela. It is the Galician city with the best rate of natural increase (RNI). According to the 2001 census, 29.6% of the population have Galician as their mother tongue, where 32.1% speak it "often". The remaining 38.3% speak Castilian as their native language or speak mostly in Castilian In 2022,
4050-502: Is very lively, to which the atmosphere of the many Galician taverns and tapas bars contributes. Plaza de la Pedreira The Stone Quarry square is so called because of the stone-cutting activities developed here by stonemasons for the city's works and constructions. Also called Plaza of Mugartegui, because of the baroque mansion in its center. Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus ( / k ə ˈ l ʌ m b ə s / ; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506)
4185-512: The Comarca and Province of Pontevedra , and the capital of the Rías Baixas . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is often considered an extension of the actual city. The city is best known for its urban planning , pedestrianisation and the charm of its old town . Between 2013 and 2020, the city received numerous awards for its urban planning, like
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4320-747: The Reconquista , an expensive war against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula , were eager to obtain a competitive edge over other European countries in the quest for trade with the Indies. Columbus's project, though far-fetched, held the promise of such an advantage. Though Columbus was wrong about the number of degrees of longitude that separated Europe from the Far East and about the distance that each degree represented, he did take advantage of
4455-592: The Xunqueira de Alba , is located near the Burgo district, in front of the tied-arch bridge Currents Bridge , inaugurated in 2012. The capital of the province of Pontevedra has become one of the most pedestrianised cities in Spain. The old city and much of the city centre are pedestrianized, so that in these neighbourhoods, motorized transport is limited to residents and services. In 1999 Pontevedra began its transformation process by pedestrianizing its old town . In
4590-399: The A Coruña - Tui railway and motorway corridor. Pontevedra bus station has multiple connections with other cities in Spain, Galicia and abroad. Pontevedra railway station is located between the Galician capital Santiago de Compostela (58 km to the north) and the largest Galician municipality, Vigo (30 km to the south). Renfe also has a Pontevedra-University railway stop in
4725-866: The Americas , each voyage being sponsored by the Crown of Castile . On his first voyage he reached the Americas, initiating the European exploration and colonization of the continent , as well as the Columbian exchange . His role in history is thus important to the Age of Discovery , Western history , and human history writ large. In Columbus's letter on the first voyage , published following his first return to Spain, he claimed that he had reached Asia, as previously described by Marco Polo and other Europeans. Over his subsequent voyages, Columbus refused to acknowledge that
4860-743: The Baroque Church of the Pilgrim Virgin (18th century) with its rounded façade, the ruins of the Gothic Convent of San Domingo (13th century), the Gothic Church of San Francisco (13th century), the Baroque Church of San Bartholomew (end of the 17th century) and the Gothic Convent of Santa Clare (14th century). Its old town also contains numerous noble houses with coat of arms (the 15th century House of
4995-586: The Cape Route around Africa to Asia. Columbus had to wait until 1492 for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to support his voyage across the Atlantic to find gold, spices, a safer route to the East, and converts to Christianity. Carol Delaney and other commentators have argued that Columbus was a Christian millennialist and apocalypticist and that these beliefs motivated his quest for Asia in
5130-645: The Cape of Good Hope ). Columbus sought an audience with the monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile , who had united several kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula by marrying and now ruled together. On 1 May 1486, permission having been granted, Columbus presented his plans to Queen Isabella, who, in turn, referred it to a committee. The learned men of Spain, like their counterparts in Portugal, replied that Columbus had grossly underestimated
5265-512: The Ciguayos , the only natives who offered violent resistance during this voyage. The Ciguayos refused to trade the amount of bows and arrows that Columbus desired; in the ensuing clash one Ciguayo was stabbed in the buttocks and another wounded with an arrow in his chest. Because of these events, Columbus called the inlet the Golfo de Las Flechas ( Bay of Arrows ). Columbus headed for Spain on
5400-522: The Columbian exchange , named after him. These events and the effects which persist to the present are often cited as the beginning of the modern era . Columbus was widely celebrated in the centuries after his death, but public perception fractured in the 21st century due to greater attention to the harms committed under his governance, particularly the beginning of the depopulation of Hispaniola's indigenous Taíno people, caused by Old World diseases and mistreatment, including slavery . Many places in
5535-463: The Daily Express and The Guardian ( United Kingdom ). As regards public transport, Pontevedra has two urban bus lines in the city centre: There is also a high frequency urban bus service between Pontevedra and Marín, which is located in the metropolitan area of Pontevedra and with which the city forms a virtual urban continuum. Pontevedra is well connected by road and rail. It sits on
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5670-580: The Niña , but a storm separated him from the Pinta, and forced the Niña to stop at the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. Half of his crew went ashore to say prayers of thanksgiving in a chapel for having survived the storm. But while praying, they were imprisoned by the governor of the island, ostensibly on suspicion of being pirates. After a two-day standoff, the prisoners were released, and Columbus again set sail for Spain. Another storm forced Columbus into
5805-676: The Palace of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra , inaugurated in 1890, and the building of the Escuela Normal de Artes y Oficios (now the Provincial Council's administrative building), inaugurated in 1899. The gardens of Vincenti have two axes that divide them into four quarters: the palm alley (west-east) and the alley that was originally flanked by magnolias, which connects the Palace of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra to
5940-580: The donatary captain of Porto Santo . In 1479 or 1480, Columbus's son Diego was born. Between 1482 and 1485, Columbus traded along the coasts of West Africa , reaching the Portuguese trading post of Elmina at the Guinea coast in present-day Ghana . Before 1484, Columbus returned to Porto Santo to find that his wife had died. He returned to Portugal to settle her estate and take Diego with him. He left Portugal for Castile in 1485, where he took
6075-481: The duck pond at one end of the park. Also in 2007, a new lighting system was installed to highlight 43 trees by means of 50 spotlights embedded in the ground, which provide vertical light and especially highlight the three cedars of Lebanon declared singular trees by the Galician Government , as well as the palms in the central avenue of the park. The park has an area of approximately 23,000 m². It
6210-645: The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the Silk Road was closed to Christian traders. In 1474, the Florentine astronomer Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli suggested to King Afonso V of Portugal that sailing west across the Atlantic would be a quicker way to reach the Maluku (Spice) Islands, China , Japan and India than the route around Africa, but Afonso rejected his proposal. In
6345-461: The old town , the city centre-Ensanche , O Burgo , Campolongo , A Moureira , Mollavao , Monte Porreiro , A Parda , A Seca, Valdecorvos , Salgueiriños, Gorgullón. The residential area of A Caeira, although officially located in the municipality of Poio , is often considered as just another neighbourhood of Pontevedra since the vast majority of the residents work in Pontevedra and relate to
6480-415: The old town of Pontevedra and those of its first urban expansion stand out as small rooms with regular and geometric proportions. Many of them evoke with their trade names the activities that took place centuries ago: Plaza of firewood, vegetables, the stone quarry, the blacksmith's, the quay... Plaza de la Herrería Blacksmith's square is the main square of the city; it is the most popular because of
6615-567: The trade winds , which would prove to be the key to his successful navigation of the Atlantic Ocean. He planned to first sail to the Canary Islands before continuing west with the northeast trade wind. Part of the return to Spain would require traveling against the wind using an arduous sailing technique called beating , during which progress is made very slowly. To effectively make the return voyage, Columbus would need to follow
6750-624: The 12th century Burgo bridge that remains in place today. The name of the town derives from the Latin pontem veteram , which means "old bridge" and refers to the first bridge that the Romans built to cross the Lérez River and the Ria de Pontevedra . However, nowadays there are historians who say that since in ancient Latin, ponto (pontus) meant sea and vedra means green, its name could be due to
6885-401: The 1480s, Columbus and his brother proposed a plan to reach the East Indies by sailing west. Columbus supposedly wrote to Toscanelli in 1481 and received encouragement, along with a copy of a map the astronomer had sent Afonso implying that a westward route to Asia was possible. Columbus's plans were complicated by Bartolomeu Dias 's rounding of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, which suggested
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#17327656631417020-528: The 1990s contributed further to the growth of the city. Since 1999 Pontevedra has seen intense urban renewal and cultural revival, positively influencing the local economy. In the 21st century the city of Pontevedra has undergone both a cultural renaissance and an urban transformation, taking in the pedestrianisation of the city centre, extension of cycle lanes, recovery of the historical and natural heritage, rehabilitation of buildings and public spaces, and an increase in green areas and pedestrian walkways. Unlike
7155-420: The Americas. He sailed with nearly 1,500 men, including sailors, soldiers, priests, carpenters, stonemasons, metalworkers, and farmers. Among the expedition members were Alvarez Chanca , a physician who wrote a detailed account of the second voyage; Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico and Florida; the father of Bartolomé de las Casas; Juan de la Cosa , a cartographer who is credited with making
7290-537: The April 1492 " Capitulations of Santa Fe ", King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised Columbus that if he succeeded he would be given the rank of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and appointed Viceroy and Governor of all the new lands he might claim for Spain. He had the right to nominate three persons, from whom the sovereigns would choose one, for any office in the new lands. He would be entitled to 10% ( diezmo ) of all
7425-532: The Arawaks prisoner and insisted that they guide him to the source of the gold. Columbus did not believe he needed to create a fortified outpost, writing, "the people here are simple in war-like matters ... I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men, and govern them as I pleased." The Taínos told Columbus that another indigenous tribe, the Caribs , were fierce warriors and cannibals , who made frequent raids on
7560-581: The Award of the Center of Active Design in New York City in 2015. Pontevedra's model for responsible mobility is currently seen as an international reference. The municipality of Pontevedra is located between 42°20' and 42°30' north and 8°33' and 8°41' west, in the southwestern Galician coast, an area popularly known as Rias Baixas . The municipality covers 118.3 km (45.7 sq mi) and
7695-749: The Bells or the 18th century García Flórez Palace ), mansions – the Mendoza Mansion , Villa Pilar – as well as old palaces such as the 18th century Mugartegui Palace , which is now the headquarters of the Rias Baixas Wine Regulatory Council , or the Counts of Maceda Palace , which is now a Parador . Another major symbol of the city is the Ravachol Parrot , whose statue is in the city centre. The city also has
7830-457: The Canary Islands west to Japan; the actual distance is 10,600 nmi (19,600 km; 12,200 mi). No ship in the 15th century could have carried enough food and fresh water for such a long voyage, and the dangers involved in navigating through the uncharted ocean would have been formidable. Most European navigators reasonably concluded that a westward voyage from Europe to Asia was unfeasible. The Catholic Monarchs, however, having completed
7965-518: The Castilian crown, known as the pleitos colombinos , alleging that the Crown had illegally reneged on its contractual obligations to Columbus and his heirs. The Columbus family had some success in their first litigation, as a judgment of 1511 confirmed Diego's position as viceroy but reduced his powers. Diego resumed litigation in 1512, which lasted until 1536, and further disputes initiated by heirs continued until 1790. Between 1492 and 1504, Columbus completed four round-trip voyages between Spain and
8100-444: The Catholic Monarchs of Spain. They were replaced by the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494. The two earliest published copies of Columbus's letter on the first voyage aboard the Niña were donated in 2017 by the Jay I. Kislak Foundation to the University of Miami library in Coral Gables, Florida , where they are housed. On 24 September 1493, Columbus sailed from Cádiz with 17 ships, and supplies to establish permanent colonies in
8235-401: The Earth; and the number of miles or leagues in a degree of longitude , which was possible to deduce from the theory of the relationship between the size of the surfaces of water and the land as held by the followers of Aristotle in medieval times. From Pierre d'Ailly 's Imago Mundi (1410), Columbus learned of Alfraganus 's estimate that a degree of latitude (equal to approximately
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#17327656631418370-441: The Indies implausible. Columbus had left for France when Ferdinand intervened, first sending Talavera and Bishop Diego Deza to appeal to the queen. Isabella was finally convinced by the king's clerk Luis de Santángel , who argued that Columbus would take his ideas elsewhere, and offered to help arrange the funding. Isabella then sent a royal guard to fetch Columbus, who had traveled 2 leagues (over 10 km) toward Córdoba. In
8505-413: The Pilgrim Virgin , built for the pilgrims in the 18th century, has a floor plan in the shape of a scallop shell and there are scallop shells sculpted in the arches of the medieval Burgo Bridge . Pontevedra city has an important group of squares of medieval origin and monumental religious buildings, including the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (16th century) with its plateresque Renaissance façade,
8640-420: The Ria de Pontevedra can be seen. To the south, closing off the garden area, the building that currently houses the provincial office of the Ministry of Defence (former primary school) was built between 1889 and 1892. At the south-eastern end of the park is the emblematic Café Blanco y Negro (which replaced the Café Las Navas at the time), one of the oldest in Pontevedra, founded in 1944, and which obtained
8775-403: The Spanish crown sent him 20,000 maravedis to buy new clothes and instructions to return to the Spanish court for renewed discussions. Columbus waited at King Ferdinand's camp until Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada , the last Muslim stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula, in January 1492. A council led by Isabella's confessor, Hernando de Talavera , found Columbus's proposal to reach
8910-403: The Taínos, often capturing their women, although this may have been a belief perpetuated by the Spaniards to justify enslaving them. Columbus also explored the northeast coast of Cuba, where he landed on 28 October. On the night of 26 November, Martín Alonso Pinzón took the Pinta on an unauthorized expedition in search of an island called "Babeque" or "Baneque", which the natives had told him
9045-456: The Vincenti gardens. In 1985, the park adopted its present appearance after a final renovation. According to the project, the gardens were transformed into an English-style park with large open areas, and much of the vegetation was replaced by lawns bordered by small granite borders. In 2007 the aviaries and cages that had been empty for years were removed and replaced by the expansion of the children's play area. The ducks also disappeared from
9180-402: The Western Hemisphere bear his name , including the South American country of Colombia , the Canadian province of British Columbia , the American city Columbus, Ohio , and the United States capital, the District of Columbia . Columbus's early life is obscure, but scholars believe he was born in the Republic of Genoa between 25 August and 31 October 1451. His father was Domenico Colombo ,
9315-572: The boy as his offspring. Columbus entrusted his older, legitimate son Diego to take care of Beatriz and pay the pension set aside for her following his death, but Diego was negligent in his duties. Columbus learned Latin , Portuguese, and Castilian. He read widely about astronomy, geography, and history, including the works of Ptolemy , Pierre d'Ailly 's Imago Mundi , the travels of Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville , Pliny 's Natural History , and Pope Pius II 's Historia rerum ubique gestarum . According to historian Edmund Morgan , Columbus
9450-435: The central area there is an alley flanked by tall Canary Island palms that runs in a straight line from General Gutiérrez Mellado Street to Reina Victoria-Eugenia avenue. Around this central alley are the Vincenti Gardens and, a little further north, the Columbus Gardens, which surround three large 19th-century buildings whose facades face the Gran Vía de Montero Ríos : the Valle-Inclán High School , inaugurated in 1927,
9585-416: The city is likely a Latin composite of pons, pontis (bridge) and veter, vetera, veterum (old, long established). In Galicia, Latin pons , a masculine word, became feminine, hence Vulgar Latin Ponte Vetera , which became by the 13th century the modern Galician language toponymy Pontevedra , "the old bridge", in reference to an old Roman bridge across the Lérez River which had been located near
9720-499: The city is located on the edge of a ria at the mouth of the Lérez river by the sea, at the end of the Ria de Pontevedra , in the heart of the Rías Baixas . An economic centre and tourist destination, with a population of 83,260 in 2020, it is at the head of a metropolitan area around its ria of more than 200,000 inhabitants comprising the municipalities of Poio , Marín , Sanxenxo , Bueu , Vilaboa , Cerdedo-Cotobade , Ponte Caldelas , Barro and Soutomaior . Pontevedra has
9855-522: The city to serve the A Xunqueira university campus and the Monte Porreiro , Tafisa and A Seca neighbourhoods. Pontevedra city itself does not have an airport in its municipality but the city is relatively close to the airports of Lavacolla to the north (in the municipality of Santiago de Compostela) and Peinador to the south (in the municipalities of Redondela, Mos and Vigo). A good network of roads and motorways efficiently connects Pontevedra with
9990-475: The city with the rest of the country, after having lost its harbour. All in all, Pontevedra sees in this century a cultural, economic and urban revival. It is in Pontevedra when, in 1853, Xoán Manuel Pintos publishes the first book in modern Galician , A gaita gallega . Pontevedra entered the 20th century with great prospects. The city was at the heart of Galician culture and politics. Galicianists – such as Alexandre Bóveda and Castelao – took up residence in
10125-601: The city, where in 1931 they founded the Partido Galeguista ("Galicianist Party"), the origin of contemporary Galician nationalism . However, the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and subsequent Francoist dictatorship (1939–1975) suddenly ended Pontevedra's progression. Political repression and economic hardships forced many to emigrate. In the 1940s–1960s the government of the Franco dictatorship granted
10260-467: The city. Pontevedra has a humid oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ). The average temperature is 15 °C (59 °F), with a daily average of 9.5 °C (49.1 °F) in January and 20.5 °C (68.9 °F) in July. These are unusually mild for a city so far north, and are due to Pontevedra's proximity to the sea and to the moderating effect of the ria . Yet, like all the Galician coast, Pontevedra
10395-416: The concession to build its famous terrace attached to the park in 1950. At the south-western end of the park there is a circular dovecote decorated with a fresco, renovated in 2017. Pontevedra Pontevedra ( Galician: [ˌpontɪˈβɛðɾɐ] , Spanish: [ponteˈβeðɾa] ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia , in northwestern Spain . It is the capital of both
10530-510: The curving trade winds northeastward to the middle latitudes of the North Atlantic, where he would be able to catch the " westerlies " that blow eastward to the coast of Western Europe. The navigational technique for travel in the Atlantic appears to have been exploited first by the Portuguese, who referred to it as the volta do mar ('turn of the sea'). Through his marriage to his first wife, Felipa Perestrello, Columbus had access to
10665-615: The daily crowds. With arches in two of its ends, with the gardens of the Plaza of Orense and the Herrería fountain at the corner of the church and convent of St. Francis . It is lined with camellias typical of the Rias Baixas . It owes its name to the blacksmiths who, in the 15th century, tempered the iron in the ovens and forges of its arcades for the weapons and paving stones that the Catholic Monarchs had asked them to manufacture. It
10800-408: The decline of the city, a decline which had already started for the rest of Galicia from the end of the 15th century. The situation would worsen during the 17th and 18th centuries. The port drastically reduced its activity due to the mentioned geographical causes. Furthermore, political decisions and dynastic conflicts provoked a general decay in trade, thus resulting in the depopulation of the city;
10935-647: The development of a park which over the years would become the Palm Trees Park. In the 1870s, the Gran Vía avenue (now Gran Vía de Montero Ríos ) was built to link the Alameda de Pontevedra to the Fairground. The first section that began to take shape in the new park corresponds to the present Columbus gardens. These lands were previously part of the orchard garden of the San Domingo convent . At
11070-408: The distance to Asia. They pronounced the idea impractical and advised the Catholic Monarchs to pass on the proposed venture. To keep Columbus from taking his ideas elsewhere, and perhaps to keep their options open, the sovereigns gave him an allowance, totaling about 14,000 maravedis for the year, or about the annual salary of a sailor. In May 1489, the queen sent him another 10,000 maravedis , and
11205-516: The east than Japan, including the mythical Antillia , which he thought might lie not much farther to the west than the Azores , and the distance westward from the Canary Islands to the Indies as only 68 degrees, equivalent to 3,080 nmi (5,700 km; 3,540 mi) (a 58% error). Based on his sources, Columbus estimated a distance of 2,400 nmi (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) from
11340-963: The emissions of CO 2 from fossil fuels in the capital since 1999 and have been reported by foreign and French television channels such as France 2 , France 3 , Canal+ or TF1 and the Swiss channel Radio Télévision Suisse RTS and other foreign televisions like Das Erste , NDR1 and ZDF in Germany, MBC TV in South Korea, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Canada or Seven Network in Australia. The city has also been featured in reports by English-language channels and publications such as Bloomberg Television , Fast Company and Outrider ( United States ) or
11475-420: The end of the 19th century, Alejandro Sesmero designed a garden located at the entrance to the Alameda de Pontevedra where exotic and unique species were planted. Throughout the 20th century, the area of the current Palm Trees Park was subject to continuous changes, both in terms of landscaping and the elements it contained. The area of the current Vincenti gardens was used for the cattle fair until 1896 and
11610-408: The eventual closure of some of them. With the end of the dictatorship in 1975 the construction sector also developed. Improvements in the communications network during the 1980s and 1990s helped Pontevedra to regain weight in the Rias Baixas region, acting again as a trade hub and focusing on its administrative functions as provincial capital. The introduction of university studies in the city during
11745-528: The façade. On the east side, overlooking Royal Street , there is a stone fountain with night lighting. Plaza de la Leña The Firewood Square is the most representative and picturesque typical Galician square in Galicia. With a calvary in its centre and popular houses with arcades on one side and the Baroque houses of the Pontevedra Museum on the other. It owes its name to the firewood that
11880-559: The first world map depicting the New World ; and Columbus's youngest brother Diego. The fleet stopped at the Canary Islands to take on more supplies, and set sail again on 7 October, deliberately taking a more southerly course than on the first voyage. On 3 November, they arrived in the Windward Islands ; the first island they encountered was named Dominica by Columbus, but not finding a good harbor there, they anchored off
12015-533: The first voyage , probably dispatched to the Spanish court upon arrival in Lisbon, was instrumental in spreading the news throughout Europe about his voyage. Almost immediately after his arrival in Spain, printed versions began to appear, and word of his voyage spread rapidly. Most people initially believed that he had reached Asia. The Bulls of Donation , three papal bulls of Pope Alexander VI delivered in 1493, purported to grant overseas territories to Portugal and
12150-461: The following years, the city centre and some other streets on the outskirts of Pontevedra were pedestrianised too. In 2010, Pontevedra was the first provincial capital in Spain to reduce the maximum speed in the city centre to 30 kilometres per hour and in 2019 to 10 kilometres per hour in the city centre. In Pontevedra, the Metrominuto pedestrian plan was created for urban mobility, which with
12285-523: The gardener Francisco Pousada Fernández signed a project with the City Council for the development of this Vincenti square into a garden. Andrés Landín, in turn, promoted the purchase of trees and plants for the garden, which was planned for December 1902 and January 1903. In 1924 the wooden circus theatre authorised in 1900 by the town council in front of the Villa Pilar mansion disappeared and
12420-636: The gardens their name, was made by Juan Sanmartín y Senra in 1892 for the Lourizán palace and installed in the gardens in 1959. At the eastern end of the central alley of the Palms is a granite pool called El Pilón with a round half-rock with irregular holes and water jets inside. Near the Reina Victoria Eugenie avenue is a pond popularly known as the Duck pond . It houses miniature houses and
12555-405: The grounds that Columbus's estimate for a voyage of 2,400 nmi was only a quarter of what it should have been. In 1488, Columbus again appealed to the court of Portugal, and John II again granted him an audience. That meeting also proved unsuccessful, in part because not long afterwards Bartolomeu Dias returned to Portugal with news of his successful rounding of the southern tip of Africa (near
12690-459: The initial settlement was probably formed during the integration of Gallaecia (old Galicia) into the Roman Empire (circa 1st century BC)(Reference is required). The current name of the city is a Latin composite, derived from Pons/Pontis (bridge) and Veteris/Vetera (old), hence Ponte(m)Vetera(m) , and thence Galician language Ponte-Vedra , "the old bridge", in reference to
12825-561: The international European Intermodes Urban Mobility Award in 2013, the 2014 Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development awarded by UN-Habitat in partnership with Dubai Municipality and the Excellence Award of the center for Active Design in New York City in 2015, among others. The city also won the European Commission 's first prize for urban safety in 2020. Surrounded by hills,
12960-506: The interpreter Luis de Torres , and founded the settlement of La Navidad , in present-day Haiti . Columbus took more natives prisoner and continued his exploration. He kept sailing along the northern coast of Hispaniola with a single ship until he encountered Pinzón and the Pinta on 6 January. On 13 January 1493, Columbus made his last stop of this voyage in the Americas, in the Bay of Rincón in northeast Hispaniola. There he encountered
13095-588: The island's southern coast for a whole day, before making landfall on its northwestern coast at the Bay of Añasco , early on 19 November. Upon landing, Columbus christened the island San Juan Bautista after John the Baptist , and remained anchored there for two days from 20 to 21 November, filling the water casks of the ships in his fleet. On 22 November, Columbus returned to Hispaniola to visit La Navidad in modern-day Haiti , where 39 Spaniards had been left during
13230-542: The lands he visited and claimed for Spain were not part of Asia, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. This might explain, in part, why the American continent was named after the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci —who received credit for recognizing it as a " New World "—and not after Columbus. On the evening of 3 August 1492, Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera with three ships. The largest
13365-698: The most important points of the city and the time it takes to travel them. The Metrominuto has been used as a model in other European cities such as Toulouse in France, Florence , Ferrara Modena and Cagliari in Italy, Poznań in Poland and the Angel district in London. In Spain, it has inspired other cities such Zaragoza , Seville , Cádiz , Salamanca , Granada , Jerez de la Frontera , A Coruña and Pamplona . As
13500-509: The municipalities of Barro , Moraña and Campo Lameiro ; to the east, Cotobade and Ponte Caldelas ; to the south, Soutomaior , Vilaboa and Marín , and to the west, Poio and the ria, leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The main parroquias (parishes) of Pontevedra are: Alba, Bora, Campañó, A Canicouva, Cerponzóns, Estribela, Lérez, Lourizán, Marcón, Mourente, Ponte Sampaio, Salcedo, San Xosé, Santa María de Xeve, Tomeza, Verducido, Xeve. The neighbourhoods or main areas of Pontevedra are:
13635-615: The name indios ("Indians") to the indigenous peoples he encountered. The extent to which he was aware the Americas were a wholly separate landmass is uncertain; he never clearly renounced his belief he had reached the Far East. As a colonial governor, Columbus was accused by some of his contemporaries of significant brutality and removed from the post. Columbus's strained relationship with the Crown of Castile and its colonial administrators in America led to his arrest and removal from Hispaniola in 1500, and later to protracted litigation over
13770-468: The nautical charts and logs that had belonged to her deceased father, Bartolomeu Perestrello , who had served as a captain in the Portuguese navy under Prince Henry the Navigator . In the mapmaking shop where he worked with his brother Bartholomew, Columbus also had ample opportunity to hear the stories of old seamen about their voyages to the western seas, but his knowledge of the Atlantic wind patterns
13905-433: The northern Galician city of A Coruña to Lisbon (Portugal). Likewise, Pontevedra will benefit from the high-speed train connecting Galicia and central Spain. That Galician connection will be fully operational in 2022. Despite the fact that Pontevedra was once the main Galician port, at present the Pontevedra harbour is only used for recreational purposes, not for cargo or passenger transportation. Neighbouring Marín
14040-461: The old Roman bridge across Lérez River. Well-connected since Roman times, Pontevedra consolidated itself as an intermediate town during the Suebic period (circa 5th–6th century AD). During the 12th century Pontevedra rose as an important commercial centre; it reached its zenith in the 15th century as a trade and communications hub. Pontevedra was the main Galician urban centre. In fact, Pontevedra has
14175-638: The old school (now the Provincial Defence Office) (north-south). The gardens, lined with small paths, are occupied by various species of flowering trees such as magnolia and camellia. Other notable trees are the cedars of Lebanon, the Himalayan cedar, the holly and the Umbrian Yews . The gardens of Columbus have small marble pools with bronze statues of cherubs inside. The white marble statue of Christopher Columbus , which gives
14310-489: The other Galician cities, and also with Portugal (55 km to the south), and inland (100 km to the eastern city of Ourense ). Regular bus lines link Pontevedra with other Galician cities and towns, as well as with Madrid , Porto and Lisbon (among others). The AVE high-speed train (in Spanish Tren de alta velocidad , or TAV) reaches Pontevedra and the city is a stop on the " Atlantic Line ", running from
14445-487: The other six large cities of Galicia, which have lost inhabitants to neighboring municipalities, Pontevedra's population is currently increasing. It has become one of the most accessible cities for disabled people, receiving a national prize for this in 2006, along with the international European INTERMODES Urban Mobility Award in 2013, the 2014 Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development awarded by UN-Habitat in partnership with Dubai Municipality and
14580-473: The particular greenness of the sea caused by the seaweed tides, being the meaning of the name of the city that of the green sea . A local legend relates the foundation of Pontevedra to Teucer , hero of the Trojan War , a legend which was reinforced with the suspicion that Greek traders might have arrived to the Rias Baixas area in ancient times. However, historians and archaeologists tend to agree that
14715-422: The population was reduced in half during that time, also affected by epidemics. In the beginning of the 19th century fishing, arts and crafts kept the economy going. With the establishment of new provincial division in 1833 Pontevedra saw itself transformed into a provincial capital. The city then grew and became an administrative, cultural and commercial centre. The introduction of the railway also reconnected
14850-406: The population were senior citizens, 69% between 15 and 65 years, and just 15.01% under the 15 years of age. The natality rate (9.8‰) is only +1.8 over the mortality rate (8‰). The migrational balance is slightly positive (+350 people in 2006). According to the local authorities Pontevedra is, since 1999, the fastest growing Galician city, with an average of +1000 more inhabitants per year. Pontevedra
14985-588: The port at Lisbon. From there he went to Vale do Paraíso north of Lisbon to meet King John II of Portugal, who told Columbus that he believed the voyage to be in violation of the 1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas . After spending more than a week in Portugal, Columbus set sail for Spain. Returning to Palos on 15 March 1493, he was given a hero's welcome and soon afterward received by Isabella and Ferdinand in Barcelona. To them he presented kidnapped Taínos and various plants and items he had collected. Columbus's letter on
15120-503: The privileges he and his heirs claimed were owed to them by the crown. Columbus's expeditions inaugurated a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for centuries, thus bringing the Americas into the European sphere of influence. The transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Old World and New World that followed his first voyage are known as
15255-581: The resources of newly discovered lands". Despite a popular misconception to the contrary, nearly all educated Westerners of Columbus's time knew that the Earth is spherical , a concept that had been understood since antiquity . The techniques of celestial navigation , which uses the position of the Sun and the stars in the sky, had long been in use by astronomers and were beginning to be implemented by mariners. However Columbus made several errors in calculating
15390-399: The revenues from the new lands in perpetuity. He also would have the option of buying one-eighth interest in any commercial venture in the new lands, and receive one-eighth ( ochavo ) of the profits. In 1500, during his third voyage to the Americas, Columbus was arrested and dismissed from his posts. He and his sons, Diego and Fernando, then conducted a lengthy series of court cases against
15525-504: The same year the monarchs furnished him with a letter ordering all cities and towns under their dominion to provide him food and lodging at no cost. Columbus also dispatched his brother Bartholomew to the court of Henry VII of England to inquire whether the English crown might sponsor his expedition, but he was captured by pirates en route, and only arrived in early 1491. By that time, Columbus had retreated to La Rábida Friary , where
15660-528: The second largest "old town" in Galicia, only after Santiago de Compostela . Pontevedra was on the route of the Way of Saint James , namely its southern or the Portuguese Way . The Church of the Pilgrim Virgin , with its distinctive scallop-shaped floor plan, is a destination for tourists and pilgrims. In the 16th century it still was a commercial city, with an increase in fishing. At that time, Pontevedra
15795-506: The second most important historic center in Galicia , after Santiago de Compostela . A city of art and history, the city is known as The Good City (name attributed by the French author Jean Froissart in his Chronicles in the 14th century) or The City of the Lérez . The city is also an important stopover on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago : the circular church of
15930-539: The size of the Earth, the distance the continent extended to the east, and therefore the distance to the west to reach his goal. First, as far back as the 3rd century BC, Eratosthenes had correctly computed the circumference of the Earth by using simple geometry and studying the shadows cast by objects at two remote locations. In the 1st century BC, Posidonius confirmed Eratosthenes's results by comparing stellar observations at two separate locations. These measurements were widely known among scholars, but Ptolemy's use of
16065-462: The smaller, old-fashioned units of distance led Columbus to underestimate the size of the Earth by about a third. Second, three cosmographical parameters determined the bounds of Columbus's enterprise: the distance across the ocean between Europe and Asia, which depended on the extent of the oikumene , i.e., the Eurasian land-mass stretching east–west between Spain and China; the circumference of
16200-635: The space was turned into a garden. In 1929, the pond that Sesmero had originally located at the entrance to the Alameda was moved to the Palm Trees Park. Later, in 1959, the Monument to the Navigators was inaugurated in the western sector of the Vincenti gardens. In the early 1980s, new aviaries for exotic birds such as peacocks and large circular cages for animals such as monkeys were installed in
16335-423: The statement in the apocryphal book 2 Esdras ( 6:42 ) that "six parts [of the globe] are habitable and the seventh is covered with water." He was also aware of Marco Polo's claim that Japan (which he called "Cipangu") was some 2,414 km (1,500 mi) to the east of China ("Cathay"), and closer to the equator than it is. He was influenced by Toscanelli's idea that there were inhabited islands even farther to
16470-544: The time accepted Ptolemy's estimate that Eurasia spanned 180° longitude, rather than the actual 130° (to the Chinese mainland) or 150° (to Japan at the latitude of Spain). Columbus believed an even higher estimate, leaving a smaller percentage for water. In d'Ailly's Imago Mundi , Columbus read Marinus of Tyre 's estimate that the longitudinal span of Eurasia was 225° at the latitude of Rhodes . Some historians, such as Samuel Eliot Morison , have suggested that he followed
16605-415: The urban transformation of the city has won many national and international awards such as the international European INTERMODES Urban Mobility Award in 2013 and the 2014 Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development awarded by UN-Habitat in partnership with Dubai Municipality . The Metrominuto is a map based on the aesthetics of metro maps, which marks the pedestrian distances between
16740-462: The walls, very close to the Trabancas gate of the old Pontevedra wall. This is where the pillory where the prisoners were executed was located. Teucer square With perfect geometric dimensions and framed by orange trees, it is surrounded by noble buildings, with the 18th century Gago and Montenegro Palace standing out on the north side, where the great coat of arms of 1716 is to be seen on
16875-616: Was a carrack , the Santa María , owned and captained by Juan de la Cosa , and under Columbus's direct command. The other two were smaller caravels , the Pinta and the Niña , piloted by the Pinzón brothers . Columbus first sailed to the Canary Islands. There he restocked provisions and made repairs then departed from San Sebastián de La Gomera on 6 September, for what turned out to be
17010-520: Was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish-based voyages across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs , opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas . His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America. The name Christopher Columbus
17145-488: Was known as the Fairground. At the beginning of the 20th century, the deputy mayor, Andrés Landín, was the promoter of the landscaping of this Fairground, which was originally conceived as a large square dedicated to Eduardo Vincenti Reguera, the deputy representing Pontevedra in the Spanish Parliament from 1886 to 1923. The configuration of this square, which ended up being a park, was very slow. On 9 June 1902,
17280-661: Was not a scholarly man. Yet he studied these books, made hundreds of marginal notations in them and came out with ideas about the world that were characteristically simple and strong and sometimes wrong ... Under the Mongol Empire 's hegemony over Asia and the Pax Mongolica , Europeans had long enjoyed a safe land passage on the Silk Road to India , parts of East Asia , including China and Maritime Southeast Asia , which were sources of valuable goods. With
17415-858: Was not from Genoa, but from the Aragon region of Spain or from Portugal. These competing hypotheses have been discounted by most scholars. In 1473, Columbus began his apprenticeship as business agent for the wealthy Spinola , Centurione, and Di Negro families of Genoa. Later, he made a trip to the Greek island Chios in the Aegean Sea , then ruled by Genoa. In May 1476, he took part in an armed convoy sent by Genoa to carry valuable cargo to northern Europe. He probably visited Bristol , England, and Galway , Ireland, where he may have visited St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church . It has been speculated he went to Iceland in 1477, though many scholars doubt this. It
17550-548: Was renovated in 2016. To the north of the Palm Trees alley is a children's playground with slides, swings, and other games. At the western end of the park, behind the administrative building of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, is the monument to the Navigators , inaugurated in 1959. The slope towards Queen Victoria Eugenie Avenue is separated from the park by a balustrade from which the sea and
17685-495: Was rich in gold. Columbus, for his part, continued to the northern coast of Hispaniola , where he landed on 6 December. There, the Santa María ran aground on 25 December 1492 and had to be abandoned. The wreck was used as a target for cannon fire to impress the native peoples. Columbus was received by the native cacique Guacanagari , who gave him permission to leave some of his men behind. Columbus left 39 men, including
17820-627: Was sold here in the past to heat Pontevedra's kitchens. Plaza de la Verdura Regularly proportioned, on the Vegetables square there are houses with coats of arms and a 19th-century forge fountain. This is where the House of Light is located, which commemorates the fact that Pontevedra was the first Galician city to have electricity in the 19th century. Today it is the headquarters of the Pontevedra Tourist Office. The square
17955-459: Was still imperfect at the time of his first voyage. By sailing due west from the Canary Islands during hurricane season , skirting the so-called horse latitudes of the mid-Atlantic, he risked being becalmed and running into a tropical cyclone , both of which he avoided by chance. By about 1484, Columbus proposed his planned voyage to King John II of Portugal . The king submitted Columbus's proposal to his advisors, who rejected it, correctly, on
18090-414: Was the largest Galician port , as it was a secure port open to the sea. One of Christopher Columbus ' ships, the carrack Santa Maria , originally named La Gallega ("The Galician"), was built in Pontevedra. It was in centuries later that the sedimentation caused by Lérez river gradually rendered the harbour unsuitable for large-scale navigation. The end of the 16th century marked the beginning of
18225-596: Was the place where the Feira Franca was held, granted to the city by King Henry IV. Here you will find the historic Carabela coffee shop, and other traditional coffees such as Savoy. Plaza de la Peregrina In the heart of the pedestrian centre of Pontevedra, the Pilgrim Virgin Square is the city's main meeting point. It is presided over by the Church of the Pilgrim Virgin and was located outside
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