Number 7
The Fountain of Hope: 3rd August 1492
After many years of waiting, the day arrived for Columbus to set sail on his expedition. So much for the sailors of the Santa Maria, the Pinta and La Nina, as for himself, the hope was not only to find the desired object, but to return home with their testaments of their discovery. A journey into the unknown, full of trickery and fear (marine monsters), which didn’t prevent them from completing it successfully. A good journey that was to change the history of the world for ever. The fourth part of the orb began with the incorporation of the other three.
A book with blank pages waiting to be written. Pages ending with the truth of what happened. There still remains a lot to be told and this monument invites you to do it.
Below the bow of the Pinta there is a tribute to Martin Alonso Pinzon as “Pegasus of the Atlantic”, its captain. Thanks to the Franciscan monks of the Monastery of La Rabida, Christopher Columbus was known in the lands of Huelva, and thanks to the support of Pinzon this joint venture and only voyage was cloaked in solidarity. Because of Pinzon’s reputation, this union encouraged the natives of Palos, Moguer, … to set sail with Columbus from La Fontanilla, in Palos de la Frontera, at which time on 3rd August 1492, instead of taking the usual route to Cipango (Japan) and Cathay (China) towards the East, they embarked on a different one, navigating towards the West.
Two pieces of historical text on either side of the Pinta remind us of who participated and from where the funds came from for the fleet of the first voyage.