Spain - The mysterious origin of Columbus

Abstract

In your textbook you are going to find information about the geographical explorations and discoveries, especially Castilian and Portuguese that take place at the beginning of Modern Age: their causes, main routes and discoverers, etc.

Among the characters that star these historic events the figure of Christopher Columbus stands out. His expeditions in the search of commercial routes to Asia produced as a result the discovering of a continent which was unknown until that time: America.

The figure of Columbus is enigmatic and controversial. Although there is a general consensus about his Genoese origin, different secondary hypotheses defend some other places as a birthplace. In fact, the mystery of his nationality has originated all type of speculations, especially from the 19th century, not only about the origins of the discoverer but also about the reasons why he himself seems to try to hide it.

Some of these hypotheses have certain historical basis, while others, perhaps, are rather a consequence of fictional inventiveness and of the interest to demand the origin of a well-known character for their own territory.

This module will enable you to get close to some of these hypotheses on Christopher Columbus' origins through the study of articles published in history magazines just like the ones you can find at any newsagent's, but from different countries. You'll be able to study this question through documents and activities which are suggested in this module, or with the help of the teacher, who is also offered some suggestions to set out the question in the classroom. Go through the tabs in this module through the student view (select it in the headline) to access the contents and activities which have been prepared for you.