He made four voyages but never found the westward passage. Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Argon, the Spanish queen and king, sponsored Columbus in an attempt to find a westward passage to Asia.
Christopher ColumbusĬhristopher Columbus, an Italian voyager, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and landed on the island of Hispaniola ( La Española), what is modern-day Haiti, in 1492. This triangular-shaped sail allowed sailors to sail with or against the wind. It also had a lateen sail–based on a Muslim design.
The caravel was a smaller ship which meant that it could sail quicker than larger ones.
