Santa Maria Facts

The Santa María was constructed from pine and oak trees from the Białowieża Forest

The Santa María was originally named La Gallega ("The Galician"), because she was built in Pontevedra, Galicia.

The ship was known to her sailors as Marigalante, Spanish for "Gallant Mary". Bartolomé de Las Casas never used La Gallega, Marigalante or Santa María in his writings, preferring to use la Capitana or La Nao.

The Santa Maria was described as a carrack or nao which was a three mast sailing ship. Each of the three masts carried one large sail

The Santa Maria was about 100 tons and about 80 feet in length

The Santa Maria ship was the property of Juan de la Cosa, a pilot and cartographer

Christopher Columbus- Quick facts

There are no known authentic portraits of Columbus.

Famous for discovering the New World, yet he died thinking he had reached the Indies.

Christopher Columbus was hired on a Genoese ship to help Rene I, the Duke of Anjou, in his mission to conquer the Kingdom of Naples.

During his second voyage, Columbus formulated a policy that later came to be known as genocide.

He died of Reiter’s syndrome on May 20, 1506. He remains to be one of the iconic figure of the world.

Christopher Columbus travelled to Iceland when he was sixteen years old

Both the sons of Christopher Columbus served as pages to Prince Juan, the son of the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella


Christopher Columbus- Born 1451 Died 1506
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