From which Spanish town did Columbus depart on his first voyage?

Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, on his first voyage across the Atlantic. The expedition left on August 3, 1492, with three ships: the Santa María, the Niña, and the Pinta.

Palos was an important Andalusian port on the Tinto River, near Spain’s Atlantic coast. The town and its neighboring communities had experienced mariners, including the Pinzón brothers, Martín Alonso and Vicente Yáñez, who helped recruit sailors and contributed nautical expertise to the voyage. Their involvement was crucial to assembling the expedition.

A common mistake is choosing Cádiz, because Columbus’s second voyage departed from Cádiz in 1493. Barcelona was significant because Columbus later reported his discoveries there to Ferdinand and Isabella, while Seville became a major administrative center for Spanish Atlantic exploration. But the first voyage itself began at Palos de la Frontera, following royal orders that required the town to provide ships and crew.