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The largest canoe Columbus had ever seen—eight feet wide, carved from a single t
1502 Event

July 30

Columbus Lands in Honduras: Fourth Voyage Hits Central America

The largest canoe Columbus had ever seen—eight feet wide, carved from a single tree trunk—appeared off Guanaja carrying twenty-five Maya traders. They offered cotton mantles, copper bells, cacao beans, and obsidian-edged swords. Columbus took the canoe's elderly helmsman captive to serve as guide. The Maya were sailing from Yucatán's sophisticated trade networks, but Columbus turned south toward Panama instead, searching for a strait to Asia. He'd just intercepted merchants wealthier than himself and chose the wrong direction.

July 30, 1502

524 years ago

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