AMERIGO VESPUCCI

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Amerigo Vespucci was born and raised in Florence, Italy to Ser Nastagio and Lisabetta Mini.
• He was educated by his uncle, Fra Giorgio Antonio Vespucci who was a Dominican friar.
• As he got older, he grew to be an Italian explorer, navigator, financier, and cartographer. .
• He is known for demonstrating that the New World was NOT Asia.
• He then married Maria Cerezo in 1505, and died at Seville on February 22, in 1512.

THE FIRST VOYAGE

In 1504, Vespucci wrote a letter to Soderini. It was about a lengthy visit to the New World, from when he left Spain in May 1497 and returned in October of 1498. The names of the ships that he used on this voyage were the San Antiago, Repertaga, the Girmand, and the Wegiz.

THE SECOND VOYAGE

In about 1499, Amerigo Vespucci joined an expedition in the service of Spain with a man named Alonso de Ojeda, who was the fleet commander. They hit the land at the coast of Guyana, they began to separate. Amerigo sailed southward, and discovered the mouth of the Amazon River before he then stumbled upon Trinidad and the Orinoco River. He then returned to Spain by the way of the Hispaniola.

THE THIRD VOYAGE

The third voyage of Vespucci was led by Goncalo Coelho from around 1501 to 1502 in the service of Portugal. Him and his crew traveled along the coast line of Brazil. As he traveled along the coast he discovered the land mark of Rio Grande de Norte. His second discovery on this voyage was Rio de Janeiro, where he confirmed that this land was not connected to Asia.

THE FINAL VOYAGE

His fourth voyage was another expedition for Portugal. There is controversy about this because there are documents that there was another voyage to Brazil, but it wasn't confirmed that that Vespucci was aboard.

THE END