Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, an Italian port city. He was a skilled sailor and navigator from a young age. After reading accounts of Marco Polo’s travels in Asia, he developed the idea of opening a new trade route to “the Indies” by sailing west. Columbus searched for a patron to help finance his plans but was turned down several times. He was finally able to persuade the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to fund his voyage. Three ships—the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria—set sail from Spain in August 1492. On October 12 one crew member announced that land had been sighted. Columbus named the island that he and his sailors saw San Salvador. Columbus explored parts of Cuba and present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Upon his return to Spain, Columbus was greeted as a hero and was named viceroy of the islands of the Indies. Ferdinand and Isabella sent him on a second voyage to the newly discovered territories. In September 1493 Columbus led an armada to the Bahamas for further exploration and to establish a new Spanish colony, which was named Isabella in honor of the queen. Columbus, however, was a better explorer than he was an administrator. During his third voyage in 1498, he was removed as viceroy of the Indies. Columbus made a final voyage to the New World (1502­04), but fell ill during the return trip to Europe. He died in 1506, still convinced that he had found a western passage to Asia.
