c. 1441-1493

Spanish navigator who, with his brothers Vicente (c. 1460-c. 1523) and Francisco Martín (1440?-1493?) took part in Christopher Columbus's (1451-1506) first voyage to the New World. Commander of the Pinta, Martín owned a partial share in both that ship and the Niña, and was responsible for a change in course on October 7, 1492, which led to the expedition reaching landfall in what is now the Bahamas on October 12. He later separated from the rest of the fleet with the Pinta, hoping to find treasure, and rushed back to Spain in an unsuccessful attempt to precede Columbus with the news of the expedition's discovery.