Overview

The name of Gil Eannes is hardly a household word; nor is that of the place associated with the Portuguese explorer, Cape Bojador. Nor indeed did Eannes discover the cape: the place had been known for many years. To journeyers of Eannes's time, Bojador represented an unbreachable barrier, a point of no return, and it was the achievement of this reluctant hero to pass that invisible boundary in 1434. In so doing, he opened new territory not only on land but in the mind, and thus made possible the golden age of Portuguese exploration, with all its glories and horrors.

Background

Located at 26°08' N, 14°30' W, or about 100 miles (160 km) south...