The history of the discovery of America holds a little-known chapter that places Jaén as a key point in the events. In 1489, while the Catholic Monarchs were organizing the final phase of the conquest of the Kingdom of Granada, the Andalusian city hosted the court and a persistent Christopher Columbus.
The explorer had spent years seeking funding for his ambitious project to find an alternative route to Asia by sailing west, an idea that challenged the logic of the time. Despite his repeated requests to Queen Isabella I of Castile, he had not achieved immediate support.
However, the court's stay in Jaén changed the course of events. According to oral tradition, Columbus took advantage of the absence of King Ferdinand to intensify his efforts and managed to gain direct access to Queen Isabella in her chambers. His persistence was such that he managed to capture her attention and, finally, obtain her verbal approval for the project.
“"The navigator's insistence was such that he ended up convincing her — or at least getting her to pay attention — to the point where she accepted his proposal."
Although this initial agreement was not official at the time, it marked a decisive turning point. Subsequently, the commitment would be formalized in the well-known Capitulations of Santa Fe, signed in Granada. The decision made in Jaén would culminate in 1492 with Columbus's departure from the port of Palos, in Huelva, and his arrival at a continent unknown to Europeans.
This episode highlights the historical importance of Jaén as a border military enclave and as an indirect setting for the beginning of expansion into the New World. Therefore, the city can be considered, with historical and cultural legitimacy, an authentic Columbian city, linked both to the conquest of Granada and the discovery of America.
