La Gomera was Cristobol’s last port of call before crossing the Atlantic in 1492 with his three ships. He stopped there on August 12th 1492 to replenish his crew’s food and water supplies, and had intended to stay only four days, but Beatriz de Bobadilla, the Countess of La Gomera and widow of Hernán Peraza the Younger, offered him vital support in preparations of the fleet, delaying his departure and he ended up staying almost a month. Apparently Cristobol wasn’t only greedy, but randy too. When he finally set sail on September 6th she gave him cuttings of sugarcane, which became the first to reach the New World. Makes one wonder what other vital support she may have provided…
Photo taken on La Gomera in November 1991.
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