Americo Vespucci was an Italian from Florence who, in 1492 or 1493, came
to Sevilla to carry on a commercial business. Here he learned of
Columbus's first voyage and became eager to make a trip himself to the
new lands. It was a Florentine friend of Americo's who fitted out
Columbus's second expedition; but this Florentine died before the
vessels were ready, and Americo continued the work. More than this;
seeing, when the king canceled Columbus's monopoly, a chance for himself
to win glory, he hastened off with one of the new expeditions. He
claimed that they reached a continental coast on June 16, 1497, which
was earlier than Columbus had reached Para, and eight days before Cabot
touched at the northern edge of the new continent. We have only
Americo's own account of the voyage, and his statements are so
inaccurate that many students refuse to believe him the real discoverer
of South America.
Of Americo's second voyage, however, we have reliable information, for
it was made in the company of Alonzo de Ojeda, that one-time friend of
Columbus who later rebelled against him at Espanola. Vespucci sent a
letter to a friend in Florence describing his voyages and saying that
the continent he had reached "ought to be considered a new world because
it had never before been seen by European eyes.
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