1492

About the Book

This book is the narration of the political and cultural conditions in Spain before the re-conquest of Granada and the negotiations necessary to finance this voyage of discovery. Even though everyone has always known that Columbus left Palos with three caravels, there has always been evidence that the a fourth once, equipped by privateers, had followed the expedition. However, because the Catholic Kings were the ones responsible for such enterprise, the emphasis was put on their project as colonization and conversion to Christianity of the people in Cathay.

La Fusta had a great cargo capacity and could accommodate 40 men. She was equipped with oars to sail the Mediterranean Sea, where the winds are not strong, as well as with square sails needed in the Ocean to stand the Trade Winds (Vientos Aliseos). When the Santa Maria was destroyed, La Fusta was left in Santo Domingo with the men who built Fort Navidad.

The proof is still in Santo Domingo at El Museo de Las Casas Reales.

About the Author

Rita Marzochhi Stark is a naturalized American Citizen, who lived in this country for 40 years. Before coming to America in 1967, she was a teacher of History, Geography, and Art History in a Spanish Academy for girls in Montreux, Switzerland from 1959 to 1962 when she became a Public Accountant. She moved to Bern to work as an Accountant in a travel Agency where she was also guiding tours in Spain, France, Italy, and Germany because she could speak these languages.

In America she worked also an Accountant until she retired and moved to St. Augustine Florida in 1990. In St. Augustine she met Prof. Vincente Paliotti, a retired Prof. of Economics who has taught at Northeastern University in Boston where she has taken an English course. He convinced her to take the English and Spanish courses required in this country to earn the equivalency to her Teaching Diploma and start writing books about her life experiences and European History that could help broaden the spectrum of knowledge in certain academic fields. Between 2002 and 2006 she has written four books: The Cliff of the Dragon and other European Legends published by Xlibris, Christmas Stories, The Pope?s Daughter, Marie-Antoinette published by iUniverse.