Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sailing technology, such as the carved armillary sphere, a globe surrounded by movable
rings designed to determine the positions of the sun or other stars to help sailors track
their location on earth. (Some say its diagonal slash is symbolic of the unwritten pact and
ambition of Spain and Portugal to split the world evenly, but it actually represents the path
of the planets as they move across the heavens.)
Da Gama's mission? To confirm what earlier navigators had hypothesized—that the
ocean recently discovered when Bartolomeu Dias rounded Africa was the same one seen
by overland travelers to India. Hopefully, da Gama would find a direct sea route to the
vast, untapped wealth of Asia. The symbols on the tomb show the icons of the period—the
cross (symbolizing the religious military order of the soldier monks who funded these
voyages), the caravel (representing the method of travel), and Portugal's trading power
around the globe (the result).
Manueline Architecture (c. 1480-1580)
Portugal's unique style (from its peak of power under King Manuel I, the Fortunate,
r. 1495-1521) reflects the wealth of the times and the many cultural influences of
the Age of Discovery. The purpose is decorative, not structural. Whether the building
uses pointed Gothic or round Renaissance arches, it can be embellished with elaborate
Manueline carved stonework, particularly around windows and doors.
