ful Florentine Medici family, remains the most
controversial of these navigators. Vespucci
made at least two and perhaps four voyages to
the New World. His logs and records are lost,
leaving republications of two letters to
acquaintances to reflect the truth.
Vespucci worked with the firm responsible
for outfitting ships for Columbus’s second and
third voyages. Vespucci’s own first voyage sup-
posedly took place in 1497–98, carrying him
north from Brazil to the east coast of North
America, possibly as far north as Cape Hat-
teras, North Carolina, or even the Gulf of St.
Lawrence. The only account of the trip
appears in one of Vespucci’s letters, whose
lack of detail makes the authenticity of his
claim controversial. If it is true, then Vespucci
landed on the mainland of the Americas
before Columbus.
It is generally agreed that Vespucci sailed
on a ship in the 1499 Ojeda-Cosa fleet, but
he parted with the westward-bound Ojeda,
instead heading southeast along the coast of
Brazil. Vespucci’s two vessels briefly explored
the delta of the Amazon River before contin-
uing to Cabo São Roque, only to be drivenA New W orld B 41