Juan de la Cosa was a Spanish navigator and cartographer born around 1460. He is best known for his role as the captain of the ship that carried Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas in 1492. De la Cosa was also a skilled mapmaker, creating one of the earliest known maps of the New World. In addition to his work with Columbus, de la Cosa explored parts of the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. He established settlements and traded with indigenous peoples. His contributions to exploration and cartography were significant during the Age of Discovery.