Columbus's vow ( es, El Voto colombino) was a vow by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

and other members of the crew of the

caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...

Niña ''La Niña'' ( Spanish for ''The Girl'') was one of the three Spanish ships used by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in his first voyage to the West Indies in 1492. As was tradition for Spanish ships of the day, she bore a female saint's n ...

'' on 14 February 1493, during the return trip of Columbus's first voyage to perform certain acts, including

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

s, upon their return to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The vow was taken at Columbus's behest during a severe storm at sea.

History

Of the three ships on Columbus's first voyage, the flagship, the '' Santa María'', had been shipwrecked in Hispaniola on December 25, 1492, leaving only the ''Niña'' and '' Pinta'' to make the homeward voyage. 39 men were left behind, the first Spanish colonists in the Americas. Columbus took command of the ''Niña'';

Martín Alonso Pinzón Martín Alonso Pinzón, (; Palos de la Frontera, Huelva; c. 1441 – c. 1493) was a Spanish mariner, shipbuilder, navigator and exploration, explorer, oldest of the Pinzón brothers. He sailed with Christopher Columbus on his Voyages of Christoph ...

retained command of the ''Pinta''. LaNiña

On 14 February 1493, in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

east of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, they met with a storm that threatened to capsize the two caravels. In the storm, the boats lost contact with one another, and the crew of the ''Niña'' feared the worst. At that moment the admiral, Columbus, proposed a series of vows.

Fulfillment of the vows

On March 15, 1493, after having touched down at the Azores and at Lisbon, the ''Niña'' arrived on the banks of the Río Tinto in the Spanish

province of Huelva Huelva () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva. Its area is 10,1 ...

. Columbus, the Niño brothers and the rest of the crew from

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 22,623. Its surface area is , and its population density is . The present site of Moguer had been h ...

headed immediately to Moguer, bringing with them some Caribbean natives whom they had taken on their voyage back, and also bringing several

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

s. The people of Moguer greeted them happily; Columbus and his crew headed promptly to the Santa Clara Monastery to light a taper and spend the night in

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...

, in fulfilment of one of their vows. Years later, at Columbus's trial in 1513, Juan Rodríguez Cabezudo, a resident of Moguer and a friend of Columbus, who had taken custody of Columbus's son

Diego Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. ...

while Columbus was away at sea, described the event: The same archive contains the remarks of another witness, Martín González:

Commemoration

This act is remembered annually on March 16 in an event at the Santa Clara Monastery in Moguer, attended by civil and military authorities, the Royal Columbian Society of Huelva (''Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense''), and the general public. The event consists of a

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

in which a taper is burned as an act of thanksgiving, and later crown of laurel is placed on the Columbus Monument in homage to the Admiral and the sailors of Moguer who took part in the discovery of America. This is then followed by a talk or a cultural event.El regreso de la carabela Niña
Europa Press item on lukor.com. Undated, but clearly 2008 from its reference to the ''"515 Aniversario"''. Accessed online 2010-01-13.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus's Vow Christopher Columbus Religious oaths History of the Atlantic Ocean 1493 in Spain

History

Fulfillment of the vows

Commemoration

See also

Further reading

Notes