(Florencia, Italia, 1454 - Sevilla, España, 1512)
\"Amerigo Vespucci; 9 March 1454 - 22 February 1512) was an Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator from the Republic of Florence (modern Italy), from whose name the terms America and Americas are derived. Between 1497 and 1504, Vespucci participated in at least two voyages of the Age of Discovery, first on behalf of Spain (1499-1500) and then for Portugal (1501-1502). In 1503 and 1505, two booklets were published under his name, containing colourful descriptions of these explorations and other alleged voyages. Both publications were extremely popular and widely read across much of Europe. Although historians still dispute the authorship and veracity of these accounts, at the time they were instrumental in raising awareness of the new discoveries and enhancing the reputation of Vespucci as an explorer and navigator. Vespucci claimed to have understood, back in 1501 during his Portuguese expedition, that Brazil was part of a different continent, which he called the New World. The claim inspired cartographer Martin Waldseemí¼ller to recognize Vespucci's accomplishments in 1507 by applying the Latinized form America for the first time to a map showing the New World. Other cartographers followed suit, and by 1532 the name America was permanently affixed to the newly-discovered continents. It is unknown whether Vespucci was ever aware of these honours. In 1505, he was made a citizen of Castile by royal decree and in 1508, he was appointed to the newly-created position of chief navigator for Spain's Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) in Seville, a post he held until his death in 1512.\"
\"Américo Vespucio (Florencia; 9 de marzo de 1454-Sevilla; 22 de febrero de 1512) fue un comerciante, explorador y cosmógrafo florentino, naturalizado castellano en 1505, que participó en al menos dos viajes de exploración al Nuevo Mundo, continente que hoy en día se llama América en su honor. Desempeñó cargos importantes en la Casa de contratación de Sevilla, de la que fue nombrado piloto mayor en 1508; pero su fama universal se debe a dos obras publicadas bajo su nombre entre 1503 y 1505: el Mundus Novus y la Carta a Soderini, que le atribuyen un papel protagonista en el Descubrimiento de América y su identificación como un nuevo continente. Por esta razón el cartógrafo Martín Waldseemí¼ller en su mapa Universalis Cosmographia, de 1507 acuñó el nombre de \"América\" en su honor como designación para el Nuevo Mundo. El relato a menudo fantasioso y contradictorio de sus viajes lo han ubicado como una de las figuras más controvertidas de la era de los descubrimientos.\"