1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Pinzon

PINZON, a family of wealthy Spanish navigators, of Palos in Andalusia, three members of which—Martin Alonzo, Francisco and Vicente Yanez, brothers—were associated with Columbus in the discovery of America.

Martin Alonzo Pinzon, born about the middle of the 15th century, gave material assistance to Columbus in carrying out his project. “If Colon was the head, Pinzon was the right arm” (Asensio). In the expedition of 1492 he commanded the “Pinta," on which his brother Francisco was pilot; another brother, Vicente Yanez, commanded the “Nina.” On the 6th of October Martin Alonzo suggested to Columbus (when already in the longitude of the Bermudas) to change the course of the expedition from due west to south-west; on the 7th of October this suggestion—strengthened by the observation of a flight of birds to the south-west-was adopted, bringing the fleet, four days later, to the landfall at Guanahani (San Salvador, Watling Island) in the Bahamas (Oct. 12, 1492). On the 21st of November 1492, near the east end of the north coast of Cuba, Martin Alonzo left Columbus, making eastward in search of the gold-land of which they had heard the natives speak. On the 6th of January 1493 he rejoined the admiral, who accepted his excuses. But on the return journey he again left his leader, and when Columbus arrived at Palos on the 15th of March 1493 he learned that Alonzo had already landed at Bayona in Galicia. If his object was to forestall Columbus and pose as discoverer of the New World, he was foiled, audience was refused him by Ferdinand and Isabella; and soon after he died, perhaps of chagrin.

Vicente Yañez Pinzon, who commanded the “Nina” in 1492–1493, also gave Columbus material help, and remained loyal to his leader throughout In after years he made important discoveries on his own account. Late in December 1499 he sailed with four caravels across the Atlantic to the south-west, and on the 7th of February 1500 he struck the South American continent at Cape S. Agostinho, near its most easterly projection (called by him Cape Santa Maria de la Consolacion) almost three months before the Portuguese navigator Cabral reached Brazil, the discovery of which is generally attributed to him. Proceeding southwards a short distance, he then turned north, followed the coast to the north-west, discovered the Amazon estuary, and went at least as far as what is now Costa Rica. After touching at Haiti, and losing two of his vessels among the Bahamas, Vicente returned to Palos in the end of September 1500. Although concessions were made to him, and he was created governor of the newly discovered lands by Ferdinand and Isabella, he does not seem to have ever taken possession. In 1507 we find Vicente sailing with Juan Diaz de Solis along the east coast of Central America. In 1509, again with De Solis, he coasted the Atlantic side of South America as far as the La Plata estuary, hoping to find an opening westwards leading to the Spice Islands. According to Herrera, he even reached 40° S., passing the La Plata without recognizing it, and turning back about the mouth of the Rio Negro, but this is probably an exaggeration. After 1523 all traces of Vicente are lost.

See Navarrete, Coleccion de viajes, Washington Irving's Columbus, Bk. XIV., ch. 11; bibliography in Joaquim Caetano da Silva's L’Oyapoc et l’Amazone (Paris, 1861); Herrera, Indms Ocmd., Dec. I, lib vi. cap 17, lib vii., caps. 1 and 9 (Madrid, 1730); Oviedo, Hist. general de las Indias, lib. xxiii. cap. 1 (Madrid, 1852), O. Pesehel, Geschichte der Erdkunde, pp. 230, 233, 249 (Munich, 1865); Zeitalter der Entdeckungen, pp. 305, &c., 426, Jose Maria Asensio, Cristoval Colon, su vida, sus viajes, sus descobrimentos (Barcelona, 1891), Cesareo Fernandez Duro, Colon e Pinzon.