Palos de la Frontera
On 3rd August 1942, after the reading of the royal order in the Church
of San Jorge, the three caravels, under the helm of Columbus, began the
journey which would culminate in the Discovery of America.
Men such as the Pinzón brothers, Cristobal Quintero, Pedro de Velasco,
and many others contributed to bringing the enterprise to a good end,
using their knowledge and mastery of the sea.
the majority of monuments in this village bear witness to Palos as birth-place
of the Discovery:
-Casa cuna de los hermanos Pinzón (the Pinzon brothers' birth-place).
-Estatue de Martín Alonso Pinzón (Statue of Martín
Alonso Pinzón) situated in the Plaza de la Villa (village square).
-Iglesia de San Jorge 15th century Gothic-Mudéjar: witness to the reading
of the Real Pragmática (Royal Decree) conferring upon Columbus
the caravels.
-La Fontanilla: Ancient fountain sheltering under a small Mudéjar temple.
According to tradition, the place where the three caravels were supplied
with their water ration for the journey.
The remains of the old quay, reconstructed in the Fourth Centenary of
the Discovery show the appearance of the ol dock on the River Tinto.
Nowadays, thanks to the strawberry-growing industry, Palos has moved to
being a fishing village to being prosperous agricultural town of 6,500
inhabitants.
|