Pedro Alonso Nino (1492 through 1505)
John Malveaux of
forwards this link:
The Unfolding Journey
AFRICAN EXPLORERS AND SETTLERS OF THE NEW WORLD
We
have been taught that the populating of the Americas began with the migration
of Asian peoples across the land bridge from Siberia to Alaska, and this is
true. They were followed thousands of years later by European explorers, mostly
Spanish, and then by European settlers. It was only later that African peoples
arrived in the New World as part of the transatlantic slave trade. But
Africans, both slave and free, arrived beginning with Columbus at the end of
the 15th Century, more that 100 years before the English and Dutch
appeared. Gathered together here are a number of stories about individuals of
African ancestry and their experiences in the New World. ALL of these people
and events were prior to the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
A navigator and explorer
of African ancestry, Pedro Alonso Nino
traveled with Christopher Columbus’ first expedition to the New World in 1492.
He was also known as “El Negro” (The Black). Pedro Nino was the pilot of
Columbus’ ship the “Santa Maria.” In 1493, he also accompanied Columbus on the
explorer’s second voyage which discovered Trinidad and the mouth of the Orinoco
River in South America, piloting one of the 17 ships in the fleet. This voyage
also brought the first Africans, who were actually free men, to Hispaniola.
Pedro Nino led his own expedition, financed by the Council of Castile, to find
gold and pearls in areas not already discovered by Columbus. He returned to
Spain very wealthy but did not live up to an agreement he had with the King to
turn over 20% of his treasure (known as “The Royal Fifth”). He was arrested and
died in prison before his trial.
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