Juan de la Cosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan de la Cosa
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Between 1450 and 1460 |
| Died | 28 February 1510 Turbaco, Colombia
|
| Nationality | Castilian |
| Other names | Juan the Biscayne |
| Occupation | Navigator and cartographer |
|
Notable work
|
Map of Juan de la Cosa |
Juan de la Cosa (born around 1450 – died February 28, 1510) was a famous Spanish navigator and mapmaker. He is best known for creating the very first European world map that included the lands of the Americas, which were discovered in the 1400s.
Juan de la Cosa played a key role in the first two voyages of Christopher Columbus to the West Indies. He owned and was the captain of the ship Santa María. This was Columbus's main ship on his first journey. Later, in 1499, Juan de la Cosa was the main pilot for Alonso de Ojeda's trip to the coasts of South America. When he returned to Spain, he drew his famous world map. He soon went back to the Americas with another explorer, Rodrigo de Bastidas. In the years that followed, Juan de la Cosa led his own trips to America. He also worked for the Spanish Crown, even acting as a spy in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1509, he started his last journey, again with Ojeda, to explore the coasts of what is now Colombia. Sadly, Juan de la Cosa died in a fight with local people before he could claim the area around the Gulf of Urabá.
Contents
Early Life and First Adventures
We don't know exactly where Juan de la Cosa was born. But most people believe it was in Santoña, a town in Cantabria, Spain. Records show that his family lived there. Some old writers called him "the Biscayne," which caused confusion with another sailor. However, we now know they were different people.
His exact birth year is also a mystery, but it's thought to be between 1450 and 1460. We don't have much information about his childhood. It's likely he started sailing at a young age. He probably explored the Bay of Biscay and later sailed towards the Canary Islands and West Africa.
The first clear records of Juan de la Cosa are from 1488. At that time, he was in Portugal. The explorer Bartolomeu Dias had just returned to Lisbon after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. It's believed that the Spanish monarchs sent Juan de la Cosa to Lisbon. His mission was to gather secret information about Dias's discovery. He managed to return to Spain before the Portuguese could capture him. In the early 1490s, Juan de la Cosa lived in El Puerto de Santa María. He owned a ship called Marigalante or Galician. It was here that he likely started working with the famous Pinzón brothers.
Journeys to the New World
Juan de la Cosa sailed with Christopher Columbus on his first two trips to the New World. He owned and was the captain of the Santa María. This was Columbus's main ship during his first voyage in 1492. The ship unfortunately sank on Christmas Eve of that year near what is now Cap-Haïtien, Haiti.
On Columbus's second voyage in 1493, Juan de la Cosa was a sailor and mapmaker on a ship called the Colina. Some historians think he might not have joined Columbus's third voyage in 1498. In 1494, the Spanish monarchs gave Juan de la Cosa a reward. This was to make up for the loss of his ship on the first voyage. He was allowed to transport a large amount of flour from Andalusia to Biscay. He was also excused from paying certain taxes.
Exploring South America
On his fourth voyage in 1499, Juan de la Cosa was the lead pilot for an expedition with Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci. They were among the first Europeans to step onto the mainland of South America, near the Gulf of Paria. They also explored the coast from the Essequibo River to Cape Vela. Even though he didn't get much money from this trip, Juan de la Cosa gained a lot. He carefully mapped the coast of the region he explored. This information was very important for creating his famous world map.
On his fifth voyage in 1500, Juan de la Cosa joined Rodrigo de Bastidas and Vasco Núñez de Balboa. They explored the lands of present-day Colombia and Panama. He continued to explore along the South American coast to the isthmus of Panama. He returned to Haiti in 1502. Later, the Spanish court found out that the Portuguese had been entering the newly discovered lands. Queen Isabella sent Juan de la Cosa to Portugal to protest these actions. Juan de la Cosa was arrested and put in prison. He was only freed with the help of Queen Isabella.
Independent Expeditions
Juan de la Cosa was given the title of alguazil, which was a kind of officer. In 1504 or 1505, he led his own expedition. He sailed to the Pearl Islands and the Gulf of Urabá. His goal was to establish new settlements there. During this journey, he also visited Jamaica and Haiti.
Last Journey and Death
In 1509, Juan de la Cosa set out for the New World for the seventh and final time. He brought two hundred settlers on three ships. When he reached Haiti, he joined forces with Alonso de Ojeda. Ojeda added another ship with one hundred settlers to the expedition. After settling an old disagreement between Alonso de Ojeda and Diego de Nicuesa, they sailed with Francisco Pizarro. They landed at the future site of Cartagena, Colombia. This was against Juan de la Cosa's advice. He had suggested they land on the more peaceful coast of the Gulf of Urabá.
When the Spanish landed, they had a fight with the local people in the Bay of Calamar and pushed them back. Alonso de Ojeda felt confident after this victory. He decided to go deeper into the forest, to a local village where Turbaco would later be built. When they arrived at the village, the local people attacked them. Juan de la Cosa was hit by poison arrows and died. Alonso de Ojeda managed to escape and fled to the coast. Another Spanish expedition arrived, and Ojeda told them about the attack. The men from the other expedition joined Ojeda to attack the village in revenge for Juan de la Cosa's death. Juan de la Cosa's wife later received money and some local people who had been in his service as payment for his contributions.
Cartography and Maps
Juan de la Cosa created several maps during his lifetime. The only one that still exists today is his famous world map from the year 1500. This map is very important because it is the oldest known European map that shows the New World. What's especially interesting is how it shows the outline of Cuba. Christopher Columbus himself never believed that Cuba was an island. Famous explorers like Walkenaer and Alexander von Humboldt were the first to point out how important this map was. Today, the map is kept in the Museo Naval (Naval Museum) in Madrid, Spain. Copies of it were first published by Humboldt in his book Atlas géographique et physique.
See also
In Spanish: Juan de la Cosa para niños
