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From this area, Christopher Columbus
set sail in 1492 with the Pinta,
the Niña
and the Santa Maria.
But where are we exactly?
We're in southern Spain,
in the municipality of Palos de la Frontera,
about 100 kilometers from Seville.
Columbus set sail on his
first of four voyages to the
Americas around here.
You can see full-scale
replicas of his ships here.
And understand how cramped it was
on board during this long journeys
into the unknown.
His plan was to discover a new
sea route to Asia, but as you know,
that never happened.
Let's go back in time and
follow his footsteps before going
to the Americas.
His legacy made history,
was celebrated, but it was,
and it is widely criticized.
I'll show you how important
Seville was for Columbus' travels.
Where he was buried.
And what the historical
archives reveal about Columbus.
We'll also find out how his discovery
of the Americas ushered in a new era.
Our next stop is Seville, which played
an important role in Columbus' journeys.
In the 15th century Seville was a wealthy city
at the center of Spanish maritime trade.
The riches were used to complete
this magnificent cathedral in 1519,
the largest Gothic church in Spain.
There's also a connection to Columbus.
More on that later.
No money, no journey.
And that was his problem.
So he tried hard to find
supporters for his ideas.
The royal palace of Sevilla,
the Real Alcázar, played a key role.
Columbus and Queen Isabella of
Castile had many discussions here.
Other royal houses in Europe
had refused to fund his journeys,
but Queen Isabella of
Castile decided to support him.
The medieval palace is worth a visit.
It's an amazing example of
so-called Mudejar architecture:
buildings constructed under
Christian rule with Islamic influences.
But, who was Columbus really?
Some think he was a brave explorer.
Others think he was a violent
conqueror and pioneer of colonialism.
I hope to find answers with an expert.
Historian Esteban Mira Caballos
has written a book about Columbus and his era.
If you are following in Columbus'
footsteps in Seville, you can't miss this:
a 45-meter-high bronze sculpture,
officially called "The Birth of a New Man".
In Sevilla, we find several
monuments of Columbus, like this one,
known as the "Columbus Egg".
Meanwhile, in some countries in
Latin America and even in North America,
in the US, many Columbus
monuments have been removed.
Let's see what people here think.
To learn more about Columbus,
the Navigator from Genova, Italy,
I head to the Archivo General de Indias.
It is the most important
archive of Spanish colonial history.
Both, the documents preserved
here, and the building itself
are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Americas were named
after Amerigo Vespucci.
Although Columbus was the first
European to arrive in the Americas,
it was Vespucci who realized
these lands were not part of Asia.
He also set out from Seville to discover
what we know now as South America.
Columbus and those who followed
him were mainly interested in fame
as well as power, valuable spices and gold.
Columbus himself benefit little from his travels.
He died in 1506, a year and a half
after returning from his last trip.
After his death, Columbus'
remains continued traveling.
Initially they were preserved in Spain,
then taken to the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
In 1898 his final resting place
was here in the Cathedral of Sevilla.
Like many buildings here in
Seville, the cathedral reflects
a mixture of cultures.
It was built in the 15th century on
the ruins of the Arab Mezquita Mayor
from the 12th century.
It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The sarcophagus of Columbus:
For a long time there was a controversy over
whether the remains were
really those of Columbus.
It wasn't until 2006 that a
DNA test confirmed it was him.
And that's a wrap of Sevilla.
Whether intentionally or not,
Christopher Columbus' travels
changed the world.
What do you think about his legacy?
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