2007-10-26 08:47:03 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
He named it after a church in Seville, Spain, called Santa Maria la Antigua, meaning "Old St. Mary's"
2007-10-26 08:51:44 · answer #1 · answered by dawgbytez 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to the AntiguaNice web site, Christopher Columbus supposedly named the island "Antigua" in 1493 in honor of the Santa Maria La Antigua Cathedral in Seville. Unfortunately, this data seems to be inaccurate since this cathedral actually exists in Castilla y León, Spain. A common practice for Spanish explorers was to name newly "discovered" areas after Catholic saints. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, Santa Barbara in the United States and others follow the same trend.
In 1632, a group of English colonists left St. Kitts to settle in Antigua. Under Edward Warner, their leader, they grew cash crops of tobacco, ginger, indigo and sugar.
[edit] Slavery
2007-10-26 08:53:09 · answer #2 · answered by Loren S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smart traveller (and somehow tricky) CC, well, he called San Salvador (Saviour) to the first island of Guahananà (careibbean) that he and the other two carabelas touched in 1492, right?
In his second voyage he "discovered" Islas VÃrgenes in 1493, name taken from the leyend of martyr Santa Ãrsula (as the character of GGM "100 años de soledad", she Saint Ursula and 10,999 other virgins made their pilgrimage to Rome to be sacrified by el huno Atila), because CC thought they were sailing across ten thousand of islands (in reality they are only a hundred of them), and we can get closer when Antigua means Ancient or Old in castilla female expression...
But...antigau? Sounds funny...
2007-10-26 09:25:21 · answer #3 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He named it for his Great Aunt Gau (who he called Auntie Gau as a child) -- lol
No, seriously he did name it after the church Santa Maria La Antigua where he prayed before his voyage.
2007-10-26 08:55:31 · answer #4 · answered by DaveNCUSA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cuz its was an old world and that is what that name means.
2007-10-26 08:50:36 · answer #5 · answered by lizgas 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He DIDN'T, - HE called it "ANTIGUA"! Presumably, he thought that the island reminded him of his "OLD" home, - from "ANTIQUITY", - thus, "ANTIGUA"
2007-10-27 01:06:31 · answer #6 · answered by Spike 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋