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Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555

Columbus reaches the Americas

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 booklet P

Overview

Cuba and Hispaniola, Columbus's belief he had reached Asia, La Navidad and the fate of its garrison, gold and the Tainos, the Caribs, why gold mattered, Portugal's objection, the Pope's line of 1493 and Tordesillas.

What you need to know

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Key term

What did Columbus believe Cuba to be?

Key term

What had become of the men left at La Navidad by the time Columbus returned in 1493?

Key term

What first convinced Columbus that the islands held gold?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Which two large islands did Columbus go on to explore after his first landfall?

    Model answer

    He sailed to Cuba in October 1492 and then on to Hispaniola in December.

  2. 2

    What did Columbus believe Cuba to be?

    Model answer

    He was sure it was part of the Asian mainland, close to the rich lands of China described by earlier travellers.

  3. 3

    How and when was La Navidad built?

    Model answer

    It was thrown up at Christmas 1492 on the north coast of Hispaniola, using timber salvaged from the wrecked flagship.

  4. 4

    What had become of the men left at La Navidad by the time Columbus returned in 1493?

    Model answer

    All 39 of them were dead, killed by local people after the garrison seized gold and women from nearby villages.

  5. 5

    What first convinced Columbus that the islands held gold?

    Model answer

    Taino people wore small gold ornaments in their noses and ears, and told him of an inland region where more could be dug.

  6. 6

    How did the Tainos receive the Spanish at first?

    Model answer

    They came out unarmed with gifts of food, cotton and parrots, and traded willingly for glass beads and scraps of metal.

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