Juan de la Cosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Between 1450 and 1460 |
| Died | 28 February 1510[1] |
| Other names | Juan the Biscayne |
| Occupation(s) | Navigator and cartographer |
| Notable work | Map of Juan de la Cosa |
Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450 – 28 February 1510) was a Castilian navigator and cartographer, known for designing the earliest European world map which incorporated the territories of the Americas discovered in the 15th century. De la Cosa was the owner and master of the Santa María, and thus played an important role in the first and second voyage of Christopher Columbus to the West Indies.
In 1499, he served as the chief pilot in the expedition of Alonso de Ojeda to the coasts of South America. Upon his return to Andalusia, he drew his famous mappa mundi ("world map") and soon returned to the Indies, this time with Rodrigo de Bastidas. In the following years, De la Cosa alternated trips to America under its own command with special duties from the Crown, including an assignment as a spy in Lisbon and participation in the board of pilots held in Burgos in 1508. In 1509, he began what would be his last expedition, again with Ojeda, to take possession of the coasts of modern Colombia.
De la Cosa died in an armed confrontation with indigenous people before he could get possession of Urabá.[2]
- ^ Cánovas del Castillo y Vallejo, p. 28
- ^ Floyd, Troy (1973). The Columbus Dynasty in the Caribbean, 1492-1526. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 135.