His name in Italian is Cristoforo Colombo and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón. The story of Columbus is not at all that we have been told. This article is not written to infer that Columbus did not travel to America; there is plenty of historical evidence to establish that fact. The chapter does, however, validate that by the time Columbus made his voyage, both North and South America had been explored surveyed and claimed by two separate European nations and that Spain had knowledge of this fact. This chapter will also prove that Spain had plans to conquer Mesoamerica (Central America) even before Columbus began his voyage. Based on this information, the story that Cortez invaded Mesoamerica on his own, without permission from Spain is most likely not true.

The Quest for Support

In 1485 AD, Columbus presented his plans to John II, King of Portugal to cross the Atlantic. He proposed that the king equips three sturdy ships and grant Columbus one year's time to sail out into the Atlantic, search for a western route to the Orient, and return. Columbus also requested that he be made "Great Admiral of the Ocean", appointed the governor of any and all lands he discovered, and given one-tenth of all revenue from those lands.