men, and became an able pilot, but retired from
active service and was the senior partner of the
firm of Pinzon Brothers, ship-builders at Palos de
Meaner. According to Francis Parkman in his
" Pioneers of France in the New World," Pinzon
sailed mi lioard the vessel of one Cousin, a navi-
gator of Dieppe, in 1488, and they were on the
coast of Africa when their vessel was forced by
storms far to the southwest, where they descried an
unknown land and discovered the mouth of a
mighty river. On the return voyage Pinzon's con-
duct became so mutinous that Cousin made com-
plaint to the admiralty, and the offender was dis-
missed from the maritime service of the town,
communicating on his return to Spain the discovery
to Columbus. The same fact is cited by Leon
Guerin in "Navigatenrs Francais," and by Charles
Estancelin in " Navigateurs Xormands." But other
historians affirm that Pinzon had not navigated for
years when, being called to Rome on business, he
heard of the projects of Columbus, and made in-
quiries at the holy office. There he learned of the
dimes and tithes that had been paid to the holy
see before the beginning of the loth century by a
country named Vinland, and saw charts that had
been made by the Xorman explorers, after which
he resolved to trust Columbus. On his return to
Spain he was consulted by Queen Isabella'saih Lsers
on Columbia's schemes, and gave a favorable
answer, which greatly aided the Genoese navigator,
and when Columbus obtained permission to arm
three ships, Pinzon provided an eighth of the ex-
penses. He took command of the caravel " La
I'ini.i." but I'min the first showed his desire to rival
Columbus, always sailing in advance of the other
ships and refusing to obey the admiral. When
land was seen, Pinzon pretended to have been the
first to discover it, and a Te Deum was sung on
board his ship. On 21 Nov., 1492, he separated
from the expedition off Cuba for the purpose of
taking possession of the treasures that were to be
found in that island, according to the natives.
When he again met Columbus, on his return
voyage in January, 1493, near Cape Monte Cristo.
he attributed his parting company to stress of
weather, and the admiral feigned to believe his
excuses. On the homeward journey he separated
from Columbus again in a storm off the Azores,
and made all possible sail for the purpose of ar-
riving before the admiral and claiming the dis-
covery ; but he was carried by a hurricane to
Galicia, where he was detained several days, and
asked by letter an audience from the king. lie
arrived in Palos on the evening of the same da
with the admiral and set out immediately for
Madrid, but was met on his way by a messenger
who forbade his appearance at court. Anger, envy,
and resentment shattered his health, and he died a
few weeks later in Palos de Moguer. His brother,
Vicente Yanez. Spanish navigator, b. in Palos de
Moguer about 1460; d. there about 1524, provided
a No an eighth of the expenses for the expedition of
Columbus, and was appointed commander of the
caravel "La Nina." 1'nlike his brother, he was
always faithful to the admiral, and when the flag-
ship Santa Maria " was wrecked, 24 Dec., 1492, off
the coast of Hispaniola, he rescued Columbus, who
embarked upon Pinzon's vessel. According to
Gomara, he accompanied Columbus in his second
and third voyages to the New World ; but other his-
torians dispute this. In 1499. having obtained
a concession for new discoveries, he armed four
caravels in partnership with his nephew. Arias
Martin, and sailed from Palos de Moguer, 13 Nov.,
1499. Steering to the southward, he crossed the
ei|uinoetial line, lost sight of the north star, and
on 20 Jan., 1500, descried land, being thus the first
to discover Brazil, and naming the Cape Santa
Maria de la Consolacion (now Cape St. Agustinlmi.
Hi 1 landed with a notary and witnesses to take pus-
session of the country for the king of Spain, but,
being attacked by warlike Indians, re-embarked.
and. coasting to" the northwest, discovered the
mouth of the Amazon, which he called Santa Maria
de la Mar Uulce, and continued to explore the coast
to the Gulf of Paria. He arrived in Spain on 30
Sept. after a disastrous homeward voyage, in which
he lost two ships and all his fortune. In 1500 he
associated himself with Juan Diaz de Solis (q. ?'.)
for the discovery of a passage from the Atlantic to
the Indian ocean, and after landing on the coast of
Honduras, in the island of Guanaja, they entered
the Gulf of Mexico and discovered Yucatan and
the Bay of Cam] ieac.li y. which they called Nati vidad.
On his return he was summoned to court to consult
with Americo Vespucci upon new discoveries to In-
made. Again, in association with Solis, he went
in 1508 on a new expedition to South America, and
coasted the shores of Brazil from Cape St. Agns-
tinho to latitude 40" S. He quarrelled with Solis,
and on their return to Seville in 1509 they were
not, received with favor. Solis was imprisoned, and
Pinzon escaped punishment only on account of his
long services. After that time he gave up na i Ca-
tion and settled in Palos de Moguer. Pinzon's
descendants exist in Huelva and Moguer, and they
have always been navigators. He wrote a relation
of his explorations, which is preserved among the
manuscripts in the archives of Simancas. Another
brother, Francisco Martin, b. in Palos de, Moguer
about 1462 ; d. at sea in July, 1500, served as a
pilot under his brother, Martin Alonso, in the ex-
pedition of 1492, and was likewise hostile to Co-
lumbus. After the death of his elder brother he
became the managing partner of the business firm
in Mogucr. ami, having reconciled himself with his
brother, Vicente Yafiez. he was attached as pilot to
the expedition of 1499. During the homeward
journey he commanded one of the two ships that
went down in a hurricane off Hispaniola, and a-
lo-t with all his crew. Their nephew. Arias Mar-
tin. Spanish navigator, b. in Palos de Moguer in
14(i."i ; d. there in 1510, was the only son of an elder
brother, and was already a pilot of repute at the
time of the expedition of Columbus. He embarked
as such on board "La Nina," was a stanch supporter
of Columbus during the voyage, and often took
the admiral's part against Martin Alonso, his
uncle and former guardian. Arias accompanied
( 'olninbus also in his second and third voyages to
America, and in 1499 obtained, with his uncle,
Vicente Yanez, permission to make new discoveries.
Stres-ol' weather separated him for sometime from
the latter, but they joined again, toward the close
of January, 1500, off Cape St. Agustinho, and they
sailed in company to the mouth of the Amazon,
when they parted again, Vicente steering for the
Guiana coast, while Arias made sail to the south-
ward along the coast of Brazil. It is probable
that he advanced as far as the present Bay of Uio
Janeiro. In the Gulf of Paria he fell in again with
Vicente Yafiez. During the following years he
established a trade between Moguer and Cuba, His-
paniola, and the other American possessions, in
which he made a large fortune. In 1507 and 1509 he
accompanied the expeditions of his uncle, Vicente,
and Solis, which proved unfortunate. Several his-
torians assert that Arias Pinzon wrote a narrative
of hi- travels which is preserved among the manu-
scripts of the Escorial ; but this has not been proved.
Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/51
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
PINZON
PINZON