Pedro Alonso Niño

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Pedro Alonso Niño
20170104 13475PANcerca.jpg
Monument to Pedro Alonso Niño at the Convent of San Francisco in Moguer, Spain
Bornc.1455
Moguer, Spain
Diedc.1505
Known forExplorer

Pedro Alonso Niño (c. 1455 – c. 1505)[1] was a Afro-Spanish explorer. He piloted the Santa María during Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas in 1492,[1] and accompanied him on his third voyage in 1498 to Trinidad.

Biography[]

Niño was born in Moguer, Spain he was of an African or possibly mixed heritage of African and Spaniard, and was known as El Negro. His father was one of the sailors Captured from Elmina, the first African city to trade with the Europeans.[2]

He explored the west coast of Africa in his early years.[3] Niño guided Columbus and navigated the Atlantic Ocean as he piloted the Santa María during Christopher Columbus's expedition of 1492,[4] and accompanied him during his third voyage that saw the discovery of Trinidad and the mouths of the Orinoco River. After returning to Spain, Niño made preparations to explore the Indies independently, looking for gold and pearls. Empowered by the Council of Castile to seek out new countries, avoiding those already found by Columbus, he committed to give 20% of his profits for the Spanish Crown (see quinto real).

In the company of brothers and , respectively a rich merchant and a pilot, he left San Lucas in May 1499, and, after twenty-three days, they arrived at . Visiting the islands of Isla Margarita, Coche, and Cubagua, they exchanged objects of little value for a large quantity of pearls before sailing up the coast to , where they discovered salt mines.

After just two months they were back in Bayona, Spain, loaded with wealth. However, they were accused of cheating King Ferdinand II out of his portion of the spoils.[3] Arrested, and with his property confiscated, Niño died before the conclusion of his trial.

Death[]

Pedro died around 1505.[1]

Legacy[]

There is a monument to Pedro Alonso Niño in the Convent of San Francisco in Moguer, Spain.[5] In 1930, Niño was honored with one of the 33 dioramas at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago.[6]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Clark, J.M.H. (1 June 2016). "Niño, Pedro Alonso". Oxford African American Studies Center. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.74670. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ^ Dokosi, Michael Eli (20 September 2019). "Meet the Elmina people of Ghana, the first Africans to receive Europeans in West Africa". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Niño, Pedro Alonso". The New International Encyclopædia. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1905.
  4. ^ Alice Bache Gould, Nueva Lista Documentada De Los Tripulantes De Colon En 1492, Boletin de la Real Academia de la Historia, Tomo CLXX, Número II, 1973, passim., including p. 80. However, as noted on p. 293, some near-contemporaries place him as pilot of La Niña.
  5. ^ Ropero-Regidor, Diego (February 2019). "Los lugares colombinos de Huelva: historia, cultura y naturaleza". Revista PH (in Spanish). Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico (96): 58–67. doi:10.33349/2019.96.4292. ISSN 2340-7565.
  6. ^ "American Negro Exposition 1863-1940, July 4 to Sept. 2, 1940, Chicago, IL" (PDF). Living History of Illinois. p. 10. (7. Pietro Alonso, Pilot of the Santa Maria)

References[]

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