Introduction
A legend or a true story? Some say that Christopher Columbus set sail from Pals. Some even claim that Columbus came from the Empordà!
The official version is that Columbus set sail on his voyage from Palos de la Frontera. However, the records do not specify which “Palos” it was and so theories have developed claiming that Pals was the starting point for the voyage of discovery of the Americas. This theory might not be so far-fetched. Its supporters believe that the theft from the port of Barcelona by Vicens Anes Pinçon, who came from Pals, could have been carried out by one of the “Pinzón” brothers who accompanied Columbus and had taken the Spanish version of the name.
But, what about the port? Pals no longer has a port, but there are official records from the fifteenth century which prove that it used to have one, and that it was quite important. Furthermore, in the writings it says that they set sail from the “Vila” of “Palos”, but Palos de la Frontera has never had this status, while Pals has. Also, Palos de la Frontera never had walls, as shown in the engravings.