Christopher Columbus - The Fourth Voyage

Anxious to win back his good name and discover riches in the Far East, Columbus set sail once again for the new lands. He left Cadiz on May 9, 1502, with four ships and 150 crewmen, one being his 13-year-old son, Diego. He arrived in Hispaniola on June 29 only to be forbidden to land lest he stir up trouble in the colony. A powerful hurricane blew in shortly after Columbus' arrival and destroyed most of the Spanish ships heading back to Spain. Columbus' ships were spared.

On July 4, he set out to look once again for a way to the East, finding instead present-day Central America. On January 6, 1503, his ships anchored off the coast of Panama. Some gold was found in this area, so the explorers set up a trading post. This venture was short-lived as the native Indians grew unfriendly and forced the Spaniards to flee.

Exploration of these new regions was fraught with problems. Columbus was sick, the food was rotten, the ships were worm-infested and leaking. Only two ships survived to make the return journey to Hispaniola. The winds blew them off course and the two ships eventually made it to Jamaica on June 25, 1503. The ships were so badly damaged that they could not make it to Hispaniola. Columbus sent men in canoes to the colony to seek a rescue. The royal governor delayed sending help until a year later. During the long wait, Columbus' men mutinied and tried to sail away on their own but failed each time. In addition, the native Indians tried to starve the sailors by refusing to help find food. Columbus had to use trickery to get the Indians to cooperate.

After the rescue, Columbus, disappointed at his failure to find a new route to the East, sailed for Spain on November 7, 1504. He settled with his son in a house in Seville and awaited a royal summons from the king and queen. But the summons never came. Click to view Columbus's fourth voyage

  See a map Columbus's fourth voyage.

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