In 1492 Columbia launched what became the most important series of events in history. He believed that China could be reached from Europe by sailing west. A quarter century later, Magellan, also sailing with a Spanish fleet, showed that could be true. Inspired by the hope of both riches and of converting native peoples to Christianity, the Spanish adventurers convinced themselves that an Earthly Paradise existed in the Caribbean and that the rivers flowed with gold. Hundreds set sail on the precarious journey across the Atlantic.
