This volume is the first of a foundational collection compiled by Martín Fernández de Navarrete, a distinguished Spanish naval officer and scholar of the early 19th century. Commissioned by the Spanish crown, Navarrete dedicated years to meticulously searching and coordinating documents from various archives, including Simancas, El Escorial, and the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, to preserve the documentary history of Spanish naval exploits and overseas expansion. The collection was undertaken at a time when much of this vital history was either scattered or lost. The first volume focuses specifically on the era of Christopher Columbus and includes original documentation such as the diaries from his first and third voyages, which Navarrete himself unearthed. The collection's purpose was to provide authentic, primary-source materials for the study of the history of Castilian maritime affairs and the creation of Spanish establishments in the New World. It is an essential work for understanding the origins of European geography and nautical science, as it illuminates the political, commercial, and military motivations that drove Spain's rise to global power from the late 15th century onward. The publication solidified Navarrete's posthumous fame as a relentless investigator and a key figure in Spanish historiography.
Colección de los viages y descubrimientos que hicieron por mar los españoles desde fines del siglo XV (Tomo I: Viajes de Colón: Almirantazgo de Castilla)