Columbus's vow ( es, El Voto colombino) was a vow by Christopher Columbus and other members of the crew of the caravel '' Niña'' on 14 February 1493, during the return trip of Columbus's first voyage to perform certain acts, including pilgrimages, upon their return to Spain. 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 Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

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 retained command of the ''Pinta''. LaNiña

On 14 February 1493, in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Azores, 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 Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, the ''Niña'' arrived on the banks of the

Río Tinto The Río Tinto (, ''red river'' or Tinto River) is a river in southwestern Spain that rises in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia. It flows generally south-southwest, reaching the Gulf of Cádiz at Huelva. The Rio Tinto river has a unique ...

in the Spanish province of Huelva. Columbus, the

Niño brothers The Niño Brothers were a family of Afro-Spanish sailors from the town of Moguer (in Huelva, Andalusia, Spain), who participated actively in Christopher Columbus's first voyage—generally considered to constitute the discovery of the Americas by ...

and the rest of the crew from Moguer headed immediately to Moguer, bringing with them some Caribbean natives whom they had taken on their voyage back, and also bringing several parrots. 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 genera ...

, in fulfilment of one of their vows. Years later, at Columbus's trial in 1513,

Juan Rodríguez Cabezudo ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, a resident of Moguer and a friend of Columbus, who had taken custody of Columbus's son Diego 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 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