ABSTRACT
SPANISH EXPLORERS Europeans first set out into the Atlantic in search of sea routes to India and Asia. Christopher Columbus convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to finance such an expedition. Setting out from Palos in southwestern Spain on August 3, 1492, he hoped to reach Japan, or, if he missed it, China. On October 12, he landed on what is now the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. Exploring further, he mistook Cuba for the southeastern promontory of Asia. Columbus returned on three more voyages in 1493, 1498, and 1502, claiming Cuba, Hispaniola, and several other islands for Spain.
