USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that the journey by boat from Europe to Asia should be not only possible, but comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage.

Detailed explanation-2: -Columbus speculated that the earth had a bulge, having the form of a pear (de la forma de una pera) or of a ball with a bulge like a woman’s nipple (una teta de muger allí puesta; Textos 215). The world’s “nipple” (peçón) was in the East, where he thought he was, along the equator (215).

Detailed explanation-3: -He also explored the Central and South American coasts. But he didn’t reach North America, which, of course, was already inhabited by Native Americans, and he never thought he had found a new continent.

Detailed explanation-4: -Columbus reasoned that since the world is round, he could sail west to reach “the east” (the lucrative lands of India and China).