Pedro Vaz de Caminha

After explorer Vasco da Gama's historic voyage around the southern tip of Africa to India (1497–1499), Portugal's King Manuel I prepared to send another, larger expedition to expand trade with Asia by the same route. This large fleet (thirteen ships) was sent in the year 1500 and was commanded by Pedro Alvares Cabral.

Cabral and some of his ships did make the voyage successfully, returning in 1501 after having established trading relationships with kingdoms on the coast of India. Yet for reasons that are still not entirely clear to historians, before sailing east around the tip of Africa on the outgoing leg of the journey, the fleet crossed the Atlantic and landed on the coast of Brazil. This was possibly the first European presence on that continent.

The fleet stayed there less than two weeks, but a scribe on the expedition, Pedro...