Fourth Voyage: 1502-4 Summary and Analysis

The documents describing Columbus's fourth voyage include a letter written by the Admiral to the Spanish sovereigns, the account of a sailor who traveled with Columbus, and a section from his son's biography.

Columbus's own letter describes a sixteen-day journey to "The Indies," where the men experienced storms more violent than they had ever seen, making them sick and stripping their ships. His thirteen-year-old son, Hernando, had accompanied him, and he worried for his other son, whom he had left in Spain. During this time, Columbus concluded that the world was smaller than previously thought. Finally, they landed in Vergaua, where some of the European men were killed by Indians; despite the gold fields there, the ships were in bad condition and Columbus moved on to Hispaniola and then Jamaica, where he asked for more ships. He...