Leaving his brothers Diego and Bartolomé
in charge, Columbus sailed for Spain on
March 10, 1496. Meanwhile, news of colonial
discontent at Hispaniola’s colonial seat at
Santo Domingo and Columbus’s increasingly
harsh treatment of the Native peoples had
reached the Spanish court, creating profound
doubts about his leadership.
COLUMBUS’S
THIRD VOYAGE
Unlike later explorers, who relied on investors
speculating on the discovery of gold or other
wealth, Columbus continued to rely on royal
backing for his voyages. After his triumphant
first voyage, his career was dogged by political
turmoil at Hispaniola and the inability to ful-
fill his long-sought goal of reaching the Asian
empires. Unable to present the Spanish court
with the grand success he envisioned—and
which he had promised—he was in constant
fear that each voyage would be his last. After a
strenuous but successful effort to have Ferdi-
nand and Isabella confirmhis privileges as
chief administrator of the Indies, Columbus
sailed west with six ships on May 30, 1498,
hoping to find enough riches to convince his
patrons that his voyages were worthwhile.In this etching, Columbus’s house on Hispaniola (near present-day Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is
clearly visible. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-107435])
The Four Voyages of Columbus B 33