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Antonio Vaquera is back with the final chapter in our historical deep dive for Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages.
Catch up on the series here:
Read part 1.
Read part 2.
Read part 3.

Fourth Voyage (1502-1504)

Columbus was 51 years old, which made him old for the time, and he suffered from gout and arthritis. He set sail with a fleet of two caravels and two ships. The monarchs agreed to finance the fourth voyage on condition that he never set foot on the island of Hispaniola again.

They departed from the port of Seville on April 3, 1502, and arrived in Santo Domingo, on the island of Hispaniola, on June 29. However, the new governor, Nicolás de Ovando, forbade them to disembark, following the orders of the monarchs. So, he sailed to Jamaica to resupply and then followed the coast of Cuba before heading west to the unexplored waters of the Caribbean.

They reached the coast of what is now known as Central America. On December 5, after having traveled practically the entire coast of Central America and with an exhausted crew, he abandoned the search for the western passage and headed for Veraguas, in present-day Panama, because the natives had told him that there was abundant gold.

Resigned to the fact that he could not establish a colony there due to the hostility and the bad weather, Columbus decided to start his way back. However, during the voyage through the Caribbean, all the ships were already affected by the broma (a wood-eating mollusk) and rotten, and they were beginning to sink, at the same time they were also affected by a hurricane.

In June 1503, the surviving ships of the expedition barely managed to reach the island of Jamaica, where they were beached by their crews.

Columbus proposed to Diego Méndez to go by canoe to La Española to ask for help.

Finally, the governor of La Española, Nicolás de Ovando, sent a ship to Jamaica that anchored at a distance. Only the captain’s boat reached the shore, which brought Columbus a roasted pig, some wine, and greetings from the governor.

On June 29, a caravel sent by Diego Méndez finally appeared on the island. At this time, there were 110 members of the expedition left alive.

On September 11, 1504, Christopher Columbus and his son Hernando embarked on a caravel to travel from La Española to Spain. They arrived in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on November 7 and from there traveled to Seville.

In Seville, illness kept Columbus bedridden. However, he was able to write his Book of Prophecies and write several letters in which he expressed interest in court affairs. On November 26, Queen Isabella died.

On May 20, 1506, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid without knowing that his explorations had led him to a continent unknown to the Europeans of his time, which would be called America, the result of an error in attributing its discovery to Amerigo Vespucci.

Antonio Vaquera (game designer) is back with the third part of the historical introduction of our game Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages. If you haven’t read the previous parts:
Read part 1.
Read part 2.

Third Voyage (1498-1500):

February 6, 1498: Two caravels, under the command of Pedro Fernández Coronel, departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with provisions and at least 55 soldiers for Hispaniola. Columbus himself set sail from the same port of Sanlúcar on May 30, 1498, with eight other ships. This fleet had a crew of 226 people.

July 31, 1498: Columbus arrived at the island of Trinidad and explored the coast of Venezuela, becoming the first European to set eyes on mainland South America.

In August 1498 Columbus returned to Hispaniola and finds the colony in chaos due to mismanagement and conflicts. At this time, his brother, Bartholomew Columbus, was in command of the island. The capital of the island was Santo Domingo, a city that had been founded on the south coast of the island.

From the island of Margarita, he sailed north to the island of Hispaniola and landed at Santo Domingo. There, a group of Spaniards, led by the mayor, Francisco Roldán, had rebelled against the authority of Bartholomew Columbus and had retreated inland.

Once in Santo Domingo, Christopher Columbus tried to negotiate with the rebels and in August 1499 all those who had rebelled were pardoned and allowed to return to Spain whenever they wished.

Complaints were also raised about the way the Columbus brothers were handling administrative affairs. On the other hand, the island of Hispaniola, instead of bringing money into the royal coffers, only demanded expenses. All of this reached the ears of the Spanish monarchs, who sent Judge Francisco de Bobadilla, who arrived in Santo Domingo on August 23, 1500.

Columbus was arrested by Francisco de Bobadilla, who was sent by the Catholic Monarchs, and sent back to Spain in chains.

In November 1500, Columbus arrived in Spain and was released, but his titles and powers were revoked.

Continue reading part 4...

Antonio Vaquera (game designer) is back with the second part of the historical introduction of our game Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages. If you haven’t read the first part you can do it by clicking this link: Read part 1.

Second Voyage (1493-1496):
September 25, 1493: Columbus sets sail from Cádiz with a fleet of 17 ships and over 1,200 men.

November 3, 1493: Arrives at the Leeward Islands, discovering several islands, including Puerto Rico.

Upon returning to Hispaniola on November 27, 1493, Columbus found the Fort Navidad destroyed and the men he had left behind, dead. Although the exact circumstances are unclear, it is believed that there were conflicts with other Taíno caciques or internal disputes among the Spaniards. Columbus sought out Guacanagari to obtain explanations about what had happened. Guacanagari claimed that he had been attacked by other rival caciques and that he had been unable to protect the Spaniards. He showed wounds that he claimed were the result of these conflicts.

The Indians of Guacanagari explain to the Spaniards that the attack was the work of Caonabó, a warlike Taíno cacique.

After attending to his affairs in La Isabela, Columbus decided to explore the island of Hispaniola on March 12, ordering the construction of the Santo Tomás fortress there by Pedro de Margarit on March 17.

Caonabó attacks the Fortress of Santo Tomás and Alonso de Ojeda, according to Bartolomé de Las Casas, manages to capture him with only 15 men. He is then sent to La Isabela to meet with Columbus, who orders him to be sent to Spain to speak with the kings, considering him an important indigenous leader on the island. However, on the way the ship sinks and Caonabó dies. The Indians of four of the five chiefdoms of the island decide to attack La Isabela to rescue Caonabó and expel the Spanish. The cacique of Marién, Guacanagarí, remains at Colón’s side and alerts him of the attack, so Colón prefers to fight the battle outside. The Battle of La Vega Real will take place about 100 kilometers southeast of La Isabela on March 27, 1495, and will result in a Spanish victory, which will pacify the island.

The Founding of La Isabela Colony:
Columbus chose a new site for the settlement in a natural bay on the north coast of Hispaniola, which offered a strategic location and access to the sea. This place was named La Isabela, in honor of Queen Isabella of Castile.

Starting in December 1493, the colonists began to build the settlement. La Isabela was designed with streets, squares, houses, warehouses, and a church. A port was also built to facilitate the unloading of supplies and future expeditions.

Exploration of Cuba and Jamaica:
In April 1494, Columbus set sail from Hispaniola with a fleet of smaller ships, leaving behind a base of operations in the newly established city of La Isabela.

Columbus reached the southern coast of Cuba on April 29, 1494. He began his exploration near what is now the province of Guantánamo and then sailed westward along the island’s southern coast.

Columbus and his crew had several encounters with the native Taino people of Cuba, who initially greeted them with hospitality. The Taino provided food and other supplies to the explorers.

Subsequently, he sailed south and arrived in Jamaica on May 5, 1494. He landed in a bay that he called Santa Gloria, today known as St. Ann’s Bay. They explored the north coast of Jamaica. They found the island rich in natural resources, with abundant vegetation and water resources. Unlike Cuba, no permanent settlements were established in Jamaica during this voyage.

Columbus also had his first encounters with the Caribs. He landed on several islands, including Guadeloupe and Dominica, where they found signs of the presence of Caribs, such as canoes and structures, who showed hostility towards the Europeans, which led to armed clashes.

The Caribbean people raided other islands and aggressively defended their territories.

They used guerrilla tactics and took advantage of their knowledge of the terrain to oppose the Spanish. These tactics made it difficult for Columbus and his men to operate in the Caribbean islands.

June 11, 1496: Columbus returns to Spain to defend his actions before the Catholic Monarchs.

Continue reading part 3…

Set sail with us today as we delve into the historical world of Sea & Steel: Columbus’ Voyages! In this first of a four-part series, we’ll set foot alongside Antonio Vaquera (game designer) as he shares the historical background on Christopher Columbus’s first voyage.

Get ready to uncover fascinating facts and immerse yourself in the age of exploration!

Summarizing the entire story of the Discovery and Conquest of the Caribbean Islands during the Four Columbian Voyages in just a few pages is a daunting task, given the vast amount of information that would need to be processed and condensed.

In any case, I want to make it clear that we are at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century and that it is very difficult – if not impossible – to understand with our current mentality the way of proceeding of both the so-called “Spanish” side in the game, and the “indigenous” side, for which reason we deliberately leave aside any judgment of the legal or moral type that inevitably accompanies this theme.

The following is a brief historical summary in which the most relevant events that took place during the years 1492 to 1503 are briefly recounted, covering Columbus’ Four Voyages to what was called the New World, focusing solely on the Caribbean Islands, since the occasions on which he “touched” land on the Continent were not so relevant.

Regardless of the ups and downs of Christopher Columbus’ life and the historical evolution of the Pre-Columbian Caribbean, we must focus on the date of October 12, 1492 (the moment the game begins). This is a significant date in history, as it marks the moment when Christopher Columbus, in the service of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, reached what is considered the New World. This event is commemorated as the discovery of America by Europeans. Columbus, who had sailed from Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492, with three ships – the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña – arrived at an island in the Bahamas that the natives called Guanahaní, which Columbus renamed San Salvador (Area 15 of the game map).

This discovery opened the door to European exploration and colonization of America, initiating a period of exchanges, conflicts, and profound changes that altered world history. October 12 is celebrated in various countries of America and Spain, and receives different names depending on the place, such as Day of the Race, Day of Hispanity or Day of Respect for Cultural
Diversity.

First Voyage (1492-1493):
Columbus and his crew explored several islands in the Caribbean, including what we know today as Cuba (which Columbus called Juana) and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Columbus had several encounters with the natives, exchanging goods and observing their customs. Columbus believed that he had reached islands near Asia, such as Cipango (Japan) and Cathay (China).
Martín Alonso Pinzón, one of Christopher Columbus’s main collaborators and captain of the caravel Pinta, separated from the other two ships at some point in late November or early December 1492. The exact reason for this separation is not entirely clear and has been interpreted in various ways by historians.

On December 25, 1492, the ship called the Santa María was wrecked on Hispaniola. Guacanagari, a Taíno cacique from the region, came to the aid of Columbus and his men. He provided them with shelter, food, and assistance in rescuing the goods from the wrecked ship. The Taínos of Guacanagari showed hospitality and generosity towards the castaways. With the help of Guacanagari, Columbus decided to build a small fort called La Navidad using the remains of the Santa María. This was the first European settlement in the Americas. Columbus left 39 men in La Navidad under the command of an officer, trusting that Guacanagari would protect them.
The Pinta and the Santa María were reunited on January 6, 1493, in Hispaniola, after several weeks of separation, and on March 15, 1493, Columbus returned to Palos de la Frontera, Spain, and was received with honors.

Continue reading part 2…