the+second+voyage

by: Noelia Pozanco and Sofía del Barrio

The second voyage departed from Cadiz on September 25, 1493 with 17 ships and about 1.200 colonists. Included in the crew was Columbus’ brother, Diego.

First, they went to the [|Canary Islands]. Then, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. They used a faster route than in the first voyage. On November 2, 21 days later, land was sighted. This new group of islands (known as the [|Lesser Antilles]) were south and east of the large Islands of [|Cuba] and [|Hispaniola].

Discovering the Islands of Guadeloupe and [|Puerto Rico] along the way, Columbus reached Hispaniola at the end of November. They discovered that the entire settlement of La Navidad had been massacred and the site burned to the ground. There were a lot of sick people and many of them wanted to return to the Iberian Peninsula. Columbus explored more of Cuba and discovered [|Jamaica]. The admiral was determined to prove that Cuba belonged to mainland Asia and was part of the Empire of the Mongols. As time wore on, relations between the Spaniards and the indigenous people of Hispaniola began to deteriorate. On March 10, 1496 Columbus returned to Spain with two ships, thinking the Catholic Monarchs would be very angry because some people had sent letters to them complaining about the conditions and the leadership, but they gave him a friendly welcome and listened with interest his story about the discovery of new islands with great potential.

Mapa del segundo viaje de Cristóbal Colón