- Sebastián de Ocampo
Sebastián de Ocampo was a Spanish
navigator andexplorer . He is believed to have been the first navigator to have circumnavigated the island ofCuba , in1508 , and is also credited with the first European discovery of theGulf of Mexico .Under the authority of the Governor of
Hispaniola , Ocampo sailed along the northern coast of the island through the oldBahama Channel and around the western point,Cape San Antonio . The voyage took eight months, and was against theGulf Stream . Europeans had already frequented Cuba by the time Ocampo embarked on his journey, but his circumnavigation confirmed that the area was indeed surrounded by water, and not a peninsula as was speculated. Ocampo returned to Hispaniola with news of the body of water that lay beyond. Before that, and afterChristopher Columbus 's discovery of the Antilles, several maps portrayed what latter-day interpreters have assumed to be the Gulf of Mexico, thereby disputing the actual discovery date. He died at an old age in a year no one is sure of.ee also
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List of explorers
*Explorations
*History of Cuba
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