The Andalusian lover of Christopher Columbus

Beatriz Enríquez de Arana was born in the village of Santa María de Trassierra, not far from Cordoba, in 1465. It is thought she originated from a humble family, however, there is another version saying that Beatriz's parents were far from being poor, owning vineyards, a winery, houses and an orchard.

In Cordoba Beatriz learned to read and write, skills that were not so common in women of that time

Orphaned in early childhood, Beatriz moved to live with her relatives in Cordoba city. At first she lived with an aunt and then with her uncle Rodrigo Enríquez de Arana. In Cordoba she was given some education; she learned to read and write, skills that were not so common in women of that time.

During that period, Christopher Columbus came to Cordoba because it was a hub of many Genoese merchants and the royal court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile was located in the Alcázar.

The still unknown explorer spent much of his time in the city in the hope of gaining their support for his expedition to find a western sea route across the Atlantic to Asia. It was in Cordoba that Columbus gained his first audience with the Catholic Monarchs.

Columbus first met Beatriz in 1486. The 34-year-old was already a widower following the death of Felipa Moniz, the daughter of a Portuguese nobleman, and was accompanied in Cordoba by his son Diego, who was about six. Beatriz was 20 years old.

It is possible that the couple met through her uncle who had befriended Columbus as both frequented the gatherings held at the pharmacy of Luciano de Esbarroya, a man of Genoese descent.

From the moment they met in the house of Beatriz's relatives they were apparently never apart. On 15 August 1488 they had a baby, Hernando (Fernando), known in English as Ferdinand Columbus.

In 1492 Columbus set sail from Andalucía for the Americas and left Beatriz with the two children. She took care of Diego as if she were his real mother. Beatriz nevertheless was never Columbus's wife.

There is a version that marriage between Beatriz and the already famous Columbus was impossible, either because her family lacked the social standing that was important to his ambitions, or because his promotion to the rank of nobility barred their union.

When Columbus returned from his first voyage, he instantly won fame and honours and lost interest in his Andalusian mistress. It is believed that he barely paid attention to Beatriz and even avoided her.

In the painting Colón Saliendo de la Mezquita (Columbus Leaving the Mezquita) by the Andalusian artist, Rafael Romero de Torres, Columbus is observed by Beatriz, whom he meets at the exit of the Cordoba cathedral.

He looks somewhat distraught at seeing her and anxious to leave the vicinity of the woman who had been his support in the difficult years leading up to his discoveries. Later, Columbus took Diego and Ferdinand from Beatriz.

However, it is thought that Columbus made sure Beatriz received a pension. In 1502, when he was about to leave on his fourth voyage to the New World, he instructed his older son, Diego, to provide for Beatriz.

In the letter he reminded him that she had cared for him as a mother. In a 1506 addition to his will, Columbus acknowledged his debt to Beatriz, named by him as "mother of Ferdinand, my son", as well as the fact that her pension had not always been paid.

The discoverer expressed his wish that she should be paid all that was owed to her, "that she may be able to live honestly, being a person to whom I am under a very great obligation".

Some sources say that Beatriz apparently lived in poverty, and never claimed her inheritance after Columbus's death in 1506. However another version says that upon his death, Columbus left his fortune to her.

Neither Beatriz's cause of death nor the exact date have been recorded, although according to many sources Beatriz Enríquez de Arana died in 1522, 500 years ago this year.