Juan of Cosa

Juan of Cosa (Santoña, auj. in Cantabrie about 1460 - Turbaco, auj. in Colombia 1510) was a Cartographe, Conquistador and Spanish Explorateur . He is the author of the first Planisphère mentioning the territories of America discovered at the end of the 15th century.

Voyages

By Cosa Christophe Colomb at the time of his the first three voyages accompanies towards the Nouveau World. He is the ship-owner and the captain of the Santa Maria , the ship-admiral at the time of the first voyage of Colomb in 1492. At the time of the second, in 1493, of Cosa is captain and cartographer of the Marigalante . At the time of the third, in 1498, of Cosa on Niña sails.

At the time of the fourth voyage of Colomb, in 1499, of Cosa is the chief-pilot for the forwarding of Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci, and it is with them one of the first Westerners to unload on the South American continent , in the Golfe of Bet. During this forwarding, they explore the coast of the mouth of the Essequibo to the Cape Vela.

At the time of the fifth voyage, in 1500, of Cosa, Rodrigo de Bastidas and Vasco Núñez de Balboa explore the territory of the Colombia and the current Panamá. It turns over to Haiti in 1502. After the advertisement at the Spanish Court of Portuguese incursions on the territory recently discovered, the queen Isabelle de Castille sends of Cosa to the head of a delegation to Portugal, to express its remonstrances.

Of Cosa Alguazil major is named, and about 1504-1506 it orders a forwarding towards the islands of the pearls and the Golfe of Urabá in order to found the first colonies there. At the same time, he also visits the Jamaica and Haiti.

In 1509, it leaves towards the New World for the seventh and last time. It takes along three hundred colonists out of three ships; arrived at Haiti it is placed under the command of Alonso de Ojeda, which transported hundred other colonists in his boat. After having regulated an old frontier argument between Ojeda and Diego de Nicuesa, they leave with Francisco Pizarro towards the territory Ojeda. Of Cosa recommends to unload on the coast of the gulf of Urabá, which he considers more peaceful, but forwarding unloads with Carthagène (Colombia). There, they are attacked by natives, of Cosa is wounded by poisoned flêches and dies.

Charts

Juan of Cosa drew several charts, whose only one which reached us is the Carte of Juan of Cosa of 1500. It is the oldest known representation of the Nouveau World. It comprises a contour of Cuba, an island that Colomb believed being the coast of the Asian continent . This chart is today with the Museo Naval of Madrid.

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