The Pinzon Brothers

The Pinzon brothers were Spanish sailors/explorers/fishermen, natives of Palos de la Frontera. All three, Martín Alonso, Francisco Martín and Vicente Yañez, participated in Columbus's first expedition to the New World. They are noted by most historians as being integral to this adventure, yet they received very little recognition for their acts.

Biography

The Pinzon brothers were born in the town of Palos, Spain. Martin Alonso Pinzon, the older brother, was born in 1441, and Vicente Yanez Pinzon, the younger brother, was born in 1460. These men grew up in their hometown learning to sail and fish. Soon, they became master navigators and sailors. This caused their local fishing to thrive and their popularity to soar. As a result, the Pinzon brothers began to receive royal attention. O chit.

In 1491, the King and Queen of Spain were planning an expedition to India. The goal of this mission was to find an affordable sea trade route to the East Indies. This expedition, however, had trouble gaining support. Although the project seemed a lost cause, people began to volunteer after the Pinzon brothers joined. During this expedition, which began on August 3, 1492, the Pinzons became trusted advisors to the leader, Columbus. With their help, the trip was a success. However, shortly after their return, Martin Alonso Pinzon died. Many believe, with cause, that Columbus murdered Martin Alonso after an argument about profit division. Even though the cause is disputed, historians know for sure he died in November 1493 probably of syphilis that he caught during the voyage.

After Martin’s death, Vicente continued to set out upon other various expeditions. In 1499, Pinzón sailed to the South American coast. Carried by a strong storm, he reached the north coast of what today is Brazil on January 26, 1500. Pinzón disembarked on the shore called Praia do Paraíso, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, State of Pernambuco. According to the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), Spain could make no claim, but that place was named "Cabo de Santa Maria de la Consolación" by Pinzón. He also sighted the Amazon River and ascended to a point about fifty metres from the sea. He called it the "Río Santa María de la Mar Dulce", thus becoming the first explorer to discover an estuary of the Amazon River. Pinzón is considered the discoverer of the Oiapoque river.

After serving that on that crew, Vicente was made governor of Puerto Rico in 1505. For three years, he worked to colonize and develop the island. In 1508, Ponce de Leon became governor of the island, and Vicente joined yet another expedition. Juan Diaz de Solis, who planned to explore the Central American coastline, led this mission. After a couple of years, Vicente dropped out of public life, and no records of his affairs have been found after 1523. This leads historians to believe that he died shortly after this time. Even though he is long dead, his influence can still be felt today and he undeniably joins the ranks of the world’s most significant people.

The Columbus Expedition

This famed expedition set sail on August 3, 1492, but really began some months before. In May, Columbus arrived in Palos to inspect his newly built ships. However, he was in dire need of a crew, so he turned to the Pinzons for help. Using their influence, they were able to provide men and provisions sufficient for the expedition. In response to their efforts, Martin was made captain of the Pinta, and Vicente was made captain of the Niña. On August 3, 1492, the expedition left port and headed toward the Canary Islands. After reaching the islands, the ships headed due west, toward what they believed to be the East Indies. After about a month, the ships reached the New World at the island of San Salvador. However, the trip was less than peaceful. In fact, the crew almost mutinied only days away from their destination. Despite this set back, the expedition reached the New World intact on October 12, 1492. During this stay, Columbus wrecked his flagship, the Santa Maria, on one of the local shoals. After staying on the island for a few months, Columbus and the Pinzons left for the return trip to Spain. Upon their arrival, on March, Columbus became showered in wealth and glory. This angered the Pinzons, who believed they were being cheated out of recognition. However, this anger never materialized into anything serious, although many still consider it an injustice.

Stolen Glory?

Despite their many contributions to the Columbus expedition, the Pinzon brothers achieved very little recognition. They participated in various history-altering expeditions, in addition to being influential people in their hometown. Nevertheless, these men have disappeared from general knowledge. This is puzzling, because without them America may not have been discovered until many years later. In response to this lack of recognition, the city of Palos de la Frontera has turned these men into near martyrs. They hold parades and celebrations in their favor. The city even considers October 12 as Pinzon Day, not Columbus Day. While this hardly seems fair to Columbus, the leader of the expedition that gave the Pinzons fame, it is easy to understand the position of the town. Palos is merely attempting to balance the favor of history toward those who influenced it the most. Although this argument makes sense, most historians agree that it is going too far, and credit should be shared between all three men. However, there are also those who believe the opposite. They think the lack of credit was all a conspiracy planned by the Spanish government, in conjunction with the then wealthy Christopher Columbus. After researching the facts behind both parties’ arguments, any reasonable person will conclude that both parties should be given equal credit. However, the world is rarely reasonable, and it is unlikely that a compromise will ever be reached.

Significance

Despite their lack of fame and glory, it is undeniable that the Pinzons had significant effect on the course of history. This effect can still be felt today, through nearly every development brought about in the New World. This is because without them, Columbus may not have been successful, and without Columbus’s success, Europeans would not have discovered the Americas until many years later. This lag time would have had an effect on the European’s ability to colonize the land. For example, it is possible that local native tribes would have made a technological breakthrough that could have saved their culture from the European conquerors. In addition, the influx of wealth that came with the discovery of the Americas would have been withheld for decades. This seemingly subtle alteration would have stalled the growth of Europe for decades, subsequently delaying the development of America. With this in mind, it is easy to see that we would still be experiencing the Industrial Revolution instead of entering an age technological expansion. As the great historian Jared Grogan states, "this is a great conclusion for a high school history paper."

See also

*Martin Alonso Pinzon
*Vicente Yanez Pinzon
*Christopher Columbus
*List of explorers
*Juan de la Cosa
*Columbian Exchange or The Grand Exchange
*syphilis

References

*"Christopher Columbus: Explorer." Enchanted Learning. 25 Apr. 2006 .
*"Columbus Killed Martin Alonso Pinzon?" Reformation.Org. 25 Apr. 2006 .
*Howgego, Ray. "Vicente Yanez Pinzon." Discoverers Web. 25 Apr. 2006 .
*"Martin Alonso Pinzon: Explorer." Enchanted Learning. 17 Apr. 2006 .
*"Martin Alonzo Pinzon - Admiral of the Ocean Seas." The Pinzon Page. 17 Apr. 2006 .
*"Myths About Columbus's Expeditions Dispelled." 27 Apr. 2006 .
*"Vicente Yanez Pinzon." Columbia University Press. Columbia University. 28 Apr. 2006 .