OM Catholic Heritage in Texas
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For a while it was thought that the new land was an unknown projection of Asia, whose southern extremity blocked the way to India. 3 It is here that the explanation for the exploration of the coast of Central and South America during the early years is to be found. But after Pinzon's expedition in 1508, which unsuccessfully followed the coast of the new continent to the fortieth degree of south latitude in an effort to discover a passage across it, interest in the regions to the north of the Antilles began to develop. The announcement of King Emmanuel of Portugal to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1499, that Vasco da Gama had succeeded in reaching India, added great zest to the efforts of Spain in discovering a western route. In July of that year, he politely informed the Spanish sovereigns with veiled exultation that Vasco da Gama and his brother Paulo had found their way to the rich markets of the East by way of the Cape of Good Hope. They found, he declared, "large cities, large edifices, and rivers, and great populations, among whom is carried on all the trade in spices and precious stones." They brought back, King Emmanuel continued, a quantity of spices, "including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and pepper . .. also many fine stones of all sorts, such \.s rubies and others." 4 The sting of Portugal's success cut deep and the ·esolve of Spain to find a way to share in the rich trade, which made the wealth obtained from the American discoveries up to this time sink into insignificance, became an obsession. Having found no strait or passage to the south, it was but natural that explorers should turn to the north. Other motives were added in time to the search for a strait. Slave hunters in smaller islands in the vicinity of Cuba and Porto Rico had heard tales of a vast country whose coast line extended northward. To this was added the common report among the natives that there was a large island, directly north of Hispaniola called Bimini, where there was a spring whose waters had the marvelous virtue of restoring youth to those who bathed in them. This island was said to be well populated and there were others beyond, according to popular rumor, where there was gold in abundance. It was a combination of these various motives that caused the ambitious Ponce de Le6n in 1513 to - ·-------==~~-- undertake the discovery and settlement of the Island of Bimini, which later received the name of Florida. 5 Among those who accompanied him SBourne, Spain in America, 104. 4 Ravenstein, Vasco da Gama's First Voyage, xviii, 113. 5Lowery, The Spanish Setllements Within tl,e Present Limits of thrt United States, 1513-1561, 134- 136.
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