Horario: Introduction

In 1492, the Spanish King and Queen were approached by an Italian-born navigator with the proposition of financing his voyage to find the West Indies. He desired to find a trade route that would be faster. This meeting between them lead to the beginning of the movement of people into the Americas. Christopher Columbus (called Cristóbal Colón in Spanish) asked for a few things in exchange for his expedition. Queen Isabela and King Fernando did agree to Columbus's lavish demands if he succeeded on the voyage: he would be knighted, appointed Admiral of the Ocean Sea, made the viceroy of any new lands, and awarded ten percent of any new wealth. These privileges were outlined in a document called the Book of Privileges.

Columbus returned from that first voyage in 1493 and met with the King and Queen in Barcelona. A statue was later built in Barcelona, right on the Mediterranean coast, to commemorate this meeting and the discovery of the Americas. Columbus faces the Mediterranean Sea in this picture and points outward, seemingly toward areas not yet known. However, this is not what it seems; although it looks as though he is pointing toward the New World out to sea, he is really pointing east toward Europe!

After the discovery of the Americas, Spain spent a time of prestige in Europe as word spread that new lands had been discovered under the Spanish crown. Turbulent times would follow. In 1516, upon the death of Fernando of Aragón, the crown went to Carlos I of Spain and V of Germany. There was then a uniting of the kingdoms of Castilla and Aragón along with the European dominions of the Hapsburgs. Spain was then involved in numerous wars and began to decline as a world power. By 1714, Spain lost the lands of Belgium, Luxemburg, Milan, Naples, Sardinia, Minorca and Gibraltar. During the reign of Carlos III, the policies of the Prime Minister kept Spain out of the American War for Independence. Carlos III drew upon his experiences from Naples to reform Spain's agricultural and urban concepts. It was during this time that Madrid was turned into a modern and elegant city with buildings similar to those found in Paris, Milan and Naples. This urbanization lead to running water, sewage and street lighting in Spain's capital.