|
MARTIN ALONSO PINZON
Martin
Alonso Pinzon was a Spanish navigator born in Palos de
Moguer in 1441. Descending
from a family consisting of many seamen, he too soon became
a skilled pilot. However,
Pinzon eventually retired from service, becoming the senior
partner of the Pinzon Brothers, a shipbuilding firm. In chronicles written by Francis Parkman, Pinzon, along with
Cousin, sailed aboard the Dieppe in 1488.
As they made their way along the African coastline,
the ship ran into fierce storm, pushing them too far to the
southwest. There,
they came upon untouched land, finding the opening to a
magnificent river.
When
Pinzon and his crew returned back home but for some reason,
his behavior became out of control, so much that Cousin was
forced to file a formal complaint with the admiralty.
With this, Pinzon was dismissed of his service but
telling people about the discovery to Columbus while on his
way back to Spain. For
many years thereafter, Pinzon did not sail, choosing instead
to practice business in Rome.
At that time, he heard of Columbus’ projects, which
led him to inquiry more through the Holy Office.
The result was that tithes were paid prior to the
start of the 15th century by the country of
Vinland. Having
seen charts created by Norman explorers, Pinzon decided to
trust Columbus.
While
Pinzon was traveling back to Spain, Queen Isabella’s
advisors consulted with him, eager to learn more about the
schemes set out by Columbus.
His response to the Queen helped the Genoese
navigator at the time when Columbus sought permission to arm
three of his ships. To
help, Pinzon contributed some of the finances.
In addition, Pinzon commanded on of the ships called
La Pinta but he was set on beating Columbus by sailing ahead
of the other two ships and not listening to orders.
As
soon as Pinzon could see land, he pretended that he
discovered it first. Then
in 1492, Pinzon separated from the expedition off the coast
of Cuba to take control of the treasures found on the
island. Then in
1493, Pinzon encountered Columbus again near Cape Monte
Cristo. He
explained to Columbus that he had left the expedition due to
bad weather at which Columbus pretended to believe him. However, as they journeyed home again, Pinzon again pulled
away in a storm off the Azores, making it possible for him
to arrive prior to Columbus, thus staking claim to the
discovery.
Unfortunately,
Pinzon was taken to Galicia via hurricane where he had to
stay for several days.
As he waited, he requested to see the King.
With that, he arrived in Palos the night that
Columbus arrived, setting out immediately for Madrid, Spain.
However, on his way, he received word from a
messenger that he was forbidden to see the king.
As you can imagine, Pinzon was angry and resentful of
his failing health. Sadly,
while in Palos de Moguer, Pinzon died just a few weeks
later. Even so,
his brothers, Vicente Yanze Pinzon and Francisco Martin
continued exploration and navigation work after Martin died.
|
