Explorers in the New WorldChristopher ColumbusPedro CabralPortuguese ExplorationVicente Yß±ez Pinz≤nAmerigo VespucciOther European ExplorersThe Conquistadors
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Pedro CabralPedro ┴lvares Cabral is credited with the discovery of Brazil although, as with Christopher Columbus several years earlier, his discovery was made entirely by accident. Cabral's fleet of 13 ships and 1,200 men set out from Lisbon in Portugual on 9 March 1500. The departure was full of pomp and ceremony because the expedition was to be the first European commercial sea voyage to India (the sea-route to India had been discovered by the Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama, in 1498), and would ensure Portuguese dominance of lucrative trade routes between Europe and Asia. The voyage from Portugal to India would take almost a year, following the trade winds into the mid-Atlantic, sailing around Africa, into the Indian Ocean, and finally to India – where they would trade for spices and silks before the return voyage home. Cabral's fleet reached the Cape Verde islands, off the African coast, on 22 March 1500, then continued South-West into the mid-Atlantic, trying to make the best of the favorable winds. Cabral and his men expected to be out of sight of land for several months, so were surprised when they unexpectedly saw land just a month later – the winds had pushed them all the way across the Atlantic towards the coast of Brazil. Curious about the new land, Cabral stopped to investigate – though only for short time because he and his men were anxious to get to India where the expected to find all kinds of riches. The Portuguese expedition only spent a few days in this new land – but it was long enough to encounter a tribe of Brazilian Indians (who seemed very friendly), collect some plants, build a cross and hold mass, and to give the land a name. Cabral named it Terra da Vera Cruz (Land of the True Cross). A ship was then dispatched back to Portugal to carry news of the discovery, while the rest of the fleet continued on its way to India. Although Cabral's visit was very brief and practically uneventful, it had the effect of securing a claim of land for Portugal in the New World, recently discovered by Columbus, because it proved that there was land in the Portuguese zone of exploration as prescribed by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Some historians think that Cabral's mission, set for him by the King of Portugal, may actually have been to see if there was land in that area. Despite being credited with Brazil's discovery, Cabral wasn't the first European to visit Brazil. After Columbus's discovery of the New World, many European ships made the voyage across the Atlantic to explore along the coast of the new continent and visit islands in the Caribbean. The year before Cabral, 1499, was very busy with visits to Brazil by both Vicente Yß±ez Pinz≤n and Amerigo Vespucci. Brazil eventually became known for its timber, and was visited by many ships (notably from France) who traded with the Indians in return for the logs. The most popular timber was brazil-wood, hence Terra da Vera Cruz eventually became known as Brazil. Brazil-wood was popular for its red colour, which could be used for making dyes, and as a decorative wood for carving and building.
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