Luis de torres biography for kids
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Luis de Torres
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.
Luis de torres biography for kids
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.[1][2][3] De Torres was chosen by Columbus for his knowledge of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Arabic.[4] 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 l