A NEW THEORY IDENTIFYING THE LOCALE OF 



COLUMBUS'S LIGHT, LANDFALL, 



AND LANDING 



By RUTH G. DURLACHER WOLPER 



Director, New World Museum 

 San Salvador, Bahamas 



INTRODUCTION 



On October 11, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his restless crew- 

 sailed west-southwest from sunrise to sunset ; they had sailed 27 

 leagues that day and then changed back to their original course — 

 west. During the afternoon Columbus was convinced by signs of 

 land that the end of their 33-day voyage was near ; after sunset, 

 therefore, he ordered that the little fleet continue its course. It was 

 6 nights after full moon when these caravels sailed on into unknown 

 waters. Although the Pinta was in the lead, Columbus, on the stern- 

 castle of the Santa Maria, was in a higher position than the others, 

 to see whatever was ahead. 



At 10 p.m. Columbus thought he saw a light in the black night, 

 but the light was "so uncertain a thing that he did not wish to declare 

 that it was land" ( Morison, 1942). He called Pedro Gutierrez to 

 come to the sterncastle to see it: Pedro thought he saw a light also. 

 Rodrigo Sanchez was asked to look at the light, ''but he saw nothing 

 because he was not in a position where he could see anything." 

 Columbus described the light: "Like a little wax candle falling and 

 rising, which to a few seemed to be a sign of land, but the Admiral 

 was confident that it was ashore." Pedro Yzquierdo thought he was 

 the first to see the light and cried out, "Light! Land!" Columbus in- 

 formed him that he was not the first to see the light. After all. 

 the Sovereigns had promised an annuity of 10,000 maravedis to the 

 first who sighted land, and Columbus was going to claim it ! 



On October 12, at 2 a.m., land was sighted straight ahead about 

 2 leagues distant ; Rodrigo de Triana described it as "a white head of 

 sand." At this hour, anything ahead of their ships would be lighted 

 from the moon. The Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta "jogged 

 off-and-on until daylight" (Morison, 1942, vol. 1, p. 311). 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS, VOL. 148, NO. 1 



