when christopher columbus set sail from europe in 1492 he flew the flags of catholic spain. he was sent to find a new western sea passage to asia and lay the foundations for the spread of christianity there. the caribbean was a launching pad for later spanish expeditions with the help of new maps the sailors searched for more territory to explore. they landed on a coastline they called flo rida derived from the spanish name for a flower festival on easter sunday pasqua florida. columbus went to his grave believing he had reached india. steadily on who had accompanied columbus on a previous voyage knew otherwise but ponce de leon thought florida was an island he