Amerigo Vespucci
A Florentine who sailed to the coast of South America for Spain and Portugal around 1500. Printed letters under his name called the lands a new world, and Waldseemüller's map of 1507 named them America after him.
1454–1512
The First Map to Name America
Martin Waldseemüller, world map in twelve woodcut sheets ([Strasbourg?], 1507): the legends on the Americas · 1507
VNIVERSALIS COSMOGRAPHIA SECVNDVM PTHOLOMÆI TRADITIONEM ET AMERICI VESPVCII ALIORV̄QVE LVSTRATIONES
A map of the whole world, following the tradition of Ptolemy and the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci and others
Multi commentum eſſe putarūt quot ab inclyto Poeta dicitᷣ extra ſidera iacere tellurē extra anni ſoliſqꝫ vias vbi cœlifer Athlas Axem humero torquet ſtellis ardentibus aptum. Cum nūc demū ita eſſe liquidū euadat. Eſt enim terra per Columbum regis Caſtiliæ capitaneum atqꝫ Americū Veſputium magni & excellentis ingenij viros inuenta/quę licet maiori ſua parte ſub anni & ſolis via atqꝫ inter tropicos iaceat nihilo tamen minus ad vndeuiginti ferme gradus vltra caprcornum ad polum Antarcticum extra anni & ſolis vias extenditur. In qua quidem magis auri quam alterius cuiuſuis metalli eſſe compertum eſt.
Many people thought the famous Poet's words were a fiction, when he said that a land lies beyond the stars, beyond the paths of the year and the sun, where Atlas, who bears the sky, turns on his shoulder the heavens studded with burning stars. Now at last it has become clear that it is true. For a land has been found by Columbus, captain of the king of Castile, and by Amerigo Vespucci, both men of great and excellent ability. Most of it lies under the path of the year and the sun, between the tropics. But it still reaches about nineteen degrees beyond Capricorn toward the Antarctic pole, beyond the paths of the year and the sun. More gold has been found in it than any other metal.
Terrarū inſularumqꝫ variarum generalis deſcriptio. etiā quarum vetuſti non meminerunt auctores nup ab anno domini .1497. vſqꝫ ad .1504. bis geminis nauigationibus in mare diſcurſis inuentarꝫ. duabus per fernandum caſtille reliqs vero duabus ī auſtrali ponto p̄ dominum manuelē portugallie ſereniſſi. reges. americo veſputio vno ex naucleris nauium qꝫ prefectis precipue multoꝝ etiam locorum quoruꝫ nulla erat noticia. que nos huic picture ad veram locorum ſcientiam exprimendā ſtudioſe ꝯiunximus.
A general description of many lands and islands, including some the ancient writers never mentioned. They were found recently, between the years 1497 and 1504, in four voyages across the sea: two sent by Ferdinand of Castile, and two more, in the southern sea, by Lord Manuel of Portugal, both most serene kings. Amerigo Vespucci was one of the pilots and captains of the ships. Many places are shown that no one knew of before. We have carefully added them to this picture, to give a true knowledge of the places.