Columbus's Third Voyage

Timeline

1. 1498Sanlúcar de Barrameda · SpainColumbus left Spain with six ships; the fleet departed in two groups. The main fleet detoured south of the Cape Verde Islands, using the equatorial current and trade winds to speed westward, preparing for the subsequent arrival at the South American mainland.
2. 1498Trinidad and the Gulf of Paria · Northern fringe of South AmericaColumbus reached Trinidad on July 31, then entered the Gulf of Paria and confirmed that the opposite shore was a mainland rather than an island. The fleet sailed along the Venezuelan coast and discovered the enormous freshwater discharge of the Orinoco River, from which Columbus inferred he was near the "Earthly Paradise."
3. 1498–1500Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic/Haiti) · Greater AntillesColumbus returned to Hispaniola to deal with colonial unrest and supply problems, and was sent back to Spain in custody over governance disputes. The third voyage geographically confirmed the existence of the South American mainland, but its political consequences were complex, setting the stage for the fourth voyage.