The location of this exhibit on the 1964 Official Souvenir Map

Locate It

"SANTA MARIA"

A full-sized replica of the flagship of Christopher Columbus' discovery fleet is moored at the end of a 15th Century-style floating Spanish wharf. Termed by the exhibitors "Space Ship - 1492," this Santa Maria is the product of a distinguished intercontinental collaboration that insured authenticity. Her architect was Jose Maria Martinez-Hidalgo, curator of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, Spain; his consultant was Colonel Howard I. Chapelle, chief of the Naval and Transportation Section of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

* Admission: adults, $1.00; children 6 to 12, 50 cents; children under 6 free.

Highlights 

LIFE OF THE EXPLORER. In settings along the wharf, 12 dioramas trace the life of Columbus from his youth to his return to Barcelona after discovering the New World. The dioramas were designed by the scenic department of the Barcelona Opera House.

CASTLE AT THE PIER. The entrance to the 180-foot-long pier is a simulated castle gangway, reached by a drawbridge. Within are Old World shops; the sounds of crowds and chanteys mingle with the smells of the exotic spices Columbus sought in his travels.

THE SHIP. Ninety feet long, weighting 110 tons, the vessel was constructed in Barcelona after years of research in museums and naval archives, and brought to the United States on the deck of a freighter. Her sails and flags were woven on 15th Century looms, the iron and armament wrought on 15 Century forges. The crew is represented by 18 life-sized sculptured figures. Columbus in his cabin talks with Captain Pinzon of the Pinta. Some crewmen crowd around the stove; others and watch in the crow's-nest, or hoist sail.