The discovery of the New World
On January 2, 1492, the almost 800-year history of the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula came to an end with the surrender of Granada. The Catholic kings of Spain now had time for new conquests. For the navigator Christopher Columbus, this was a dream come true. The royal house granted him three ships and far-reaching privileges to search for the sea route to India via a western route. On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera near Huelva with his flagship Santa Maria and the two caravels Niña and Pinta and discovered America on October 12, 1492. Seville thus became the hub of trade with the New World and the cultural center of Spain. On our Seville route, we visit the old town and the Plaza de España in Seville as well as the faithful replicas of the three ships in the Muelle de las Carabelas open-air museum in Palos de la Frontera.
From 1503, ships loaded with gold and silver from the New World first docked in the port of Seville. Vespucci and Magellan planned and started their voyages of discovery here. New plants and foods reached the Old World and changed the agricultural system and eating habits of Europeans. But there was competition on the world's oceans and in the colonies. In 1588, the "invincible" Spanish Armada was sunk by England. After this defeat, Spain remained a strong naval power until April 25, 1607, during the Spanish-Dutch War (1568 to 1648), when the fleet was defeated in a surprise attack by the Dutch in the Bay of Gibraltar. Magnificent cathedrals, churches, palaces, public buildings and new squares were built under the influence of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Much of the immense wealth from the New World was squandered on military operations and armaments. Internal political rivalries, mismanagement and four major plague epidemics led to the political and economic decline of Seville and thus of Spain as a whole.