Luis de Torres

Luis De Torres was Christopher Columbus 's interpreter on his first voyage to the New World. A Jew , he had converted to Catholicism just before leaving Spain in order to avoid the expulsion edict against the Jews. He was brought with Columbus because of his knowledge of Hebrew , Aramaic , and Arabic : Columbus believed that these languages would be useful in Asia because they would enable him to communicate with local Jewish traders, and he may also have believed that he would find descendents of the Lost Ten Tribes. Upon arriving in the New World, de Torres was sent on an expedition inland to find the "Great Khan" described by Marco Polo . He did however report on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: the first European encounter with tobacco . Finding a large, edible bird, he identified it with the Hebrew tukki ( parrot ) of the Bible : the name later evolved into " turkey ." In return for his services to Columbus's expedition, de Torres was granted an estate in Cuba , where he later lived.

Luis de Torres (died 1493), perhaps born as יוסף בן הלוי העברי, Yosef ben HaLevi Ha-Ivri , ("Joseph, Son of Levi, the Hebrew") was Christopher Columbus 's interpreter on his first voyage and the first person of Jewish origin to settle in America. While still a Jew, de Torres served as an interpreter to the governor of Murcia due to his knowledge of Hebrew , Aramaic , Arabic , and Portuguese . In order to avoid the expulsion edict against the Jews of Spain, de Torres converted to Catholicism shortly before the departure of Columbus's expedition . Columbus hoped that the interpreter's skills would be useful in Asia because they would enable him to communicate with local Jewish traders, and he may also have believed that he would find descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel . After arriving at Cuba , which he supposed to be the Asian coast, Columbus sent de Torres and the sailor Rodrigo de Jerez for an expedition inland on November 2, 1492. Their task was to explore the country, to contact its ruler and to gather information about the Asian emperor described by Marco Polo as the " Great Khan ". The two men were received with great honours in an Indian village, from where they returned four days later. They did report on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: the first European encounter with tobacco . When Columbus set off for Spain on January 4, 1493, Luis de Torres was among the 39 men who stayed behind at the settlement of La Navidad founded on the island of Hispaniola . Coming back by the end of that year, Columbus learnt that the whole garrison had been wiped out by internal strife and by an Indian attack, which had occurred in retaliation to the Spaniards' abducting native women. The Indians remembered that one of the settlers had spoken "offensively and disparagingly" about the Catholic faith, trying to dissuade anybody from adopting it. According to Gould, this man may well have been de Torres, who had probably not converted voluntarily. On September 22, 1508, de Torres's widow Catalina Sánchez, living then in Moguer ( Andalusia ), received a grant from the Spanish treasury in recompense for the services of her deceased husband.

Luis de Torres (died 1493) was Christopher Columbus 's interpreter on his second voyage to America. After arriving at Cuba , which he supposed to be the Asian coast, Columbus sent de Torres and the sailor Rodrigo de Jerez on an expedition inland on November 2, 1492. Their task was to explore the country, contact its ruler, and gather information about the Asian emperor described by Marco Polo as the " Great Khan ". The two men were received with great honors in a village, and returned four days later. They reported on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: a reference to the use of tobacco . When Columbus set off for Spain on January 4, 1493, Luis de Torres was among the 39 men who stayed behind at the settlement of La Navidad founded on the island of Hispaniola . Coming back by the end of that year, Columbus learnt that the whole garrison had been wiped out by internal strife and by an Indian attack, which had occurred in retaliation to the Spaniards' abducting native women. The Indians remembered that one of the settlers had spoken "offensively and disparagingly" about the Catholic faith, trying to dissuade anybody from adopting it. According to Gould, this man may well have been de Torres.

Luis de Torres (died 1493) was Christopher Columbus 's interpreter on his first voyage to America. De Torres was a converso ,a Jewish person who was forced to convert to Christianity or be put to death according to the Inquisition, apparently born Yosef ben HaLevi HaIvri chosen by Columbus for his knowledge of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Arabic. After arriving at Cuba , which he supposed to be the Asian coast, Columbus sent de Torres and the sailor Rodrigo de Jerez on an expedition inland on November 2, 1492. Their task was to explore the country, contact its ruler, and gather information about the Asian emperor described by Marco Polo as the " Great Khan ". The two men were received with great honors in a village, and returned four days later. They reported on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: a reference to the use of tobacco . When Columbus set off for Spain on January 4, 1493, Luis de Torres was among the 39 men who stayed behind at the settlement of La Navidad founded on the island of Hispaniola . Coming back by the end of that year, Columbus learnt that the whole garrison had been wiped out by internal strife and by an Indian attack. Viernes 2 de noviembre: "Acordó el Almirante enbiar dos hombres españoles, el uno se llamava Rodrigo de Xerez que bivía en Ayamonte, y el otro era un Luys de Torres que avía bivido con el Adelantado de Murçia y avía sido judío y sabía dizque ebrayco y caldeo y aun algo arávigo." "Columbus Day: Who was the first Jew in the New World?" .

Spanish interpreter For other people named Luis Torres, see Luis Torres (disambiguation) . Luis de Torres (died 1493) was Christopher Columbus 's interpreter on his first voyage to America. De Torres was a converso , a Jewish person who was forced to convert to Christianity or be put to death according to the Spanish Inquisition , apparently born Yosef ben HaLevi HaIvri in Moguer , Spain. De Torres was chosen by Columbus for his knowledge of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Arabic. After arriving at Cuba , which he supposed to be the Asian coast, Columbus sent de Torres and the sailor Rodrigo de Jerez on an expedition inland on November 2, 1492. Their task was to explore the country, contact its ruler, and gather information about the Asian emperor described by Marco Polo as the " Great Khan ". The two men were received with great honors in a village, and returned four days later. They reported on the native custom of drying leaves, inserting them in cane pipes, burning them, and inhaling the smoke: a reference to the use of tobacco . When Columbus set off for Spain on January 4, 1493, Luis de Torres was among the 39 men who stayed behind at the settlement of La Navidad founded on the island of Hispaniola . Coming back by the end of that year, Columbus learnt that the whole garrison had been wiped out by internal strife and by attack. From 1972 to 2021, a synagogue in The Bahamas existed that was named after De Torres, known as the Luis de Torres Synagogue . The synagogue was named after him due to his involvement in the discovery of the New World . Viernes 2 de noviembre: "Acordó el Almirante enbiar dos hombres españoles, el uno se llamava Rodrigo de Xerez que bivía en Ayamonte, y el otro era un Luys de Torres que avía bivido con el Adelantado de Murçia y avía sido judío y sabía dizque ebrayco y caldeo y aun algo arávigo." "Columbus Day: Who was the first Jew in the New World?" .