Carthaginian ships across the Atlantic. New considerations on the construction of the image of Cádiz in 16th century historiography from classical sources
Ocampo has been a pioneer in the composition of a history of Spain where
classical sources were used to ground innovative constructions inspired by the present. In
this article, we look into a passage of his work that provides the account of the Carthaginian
discovery of an island, at the time identified as America, by analyzing the contrast
with his usual categorization, according to which the inhabitants of Cádiz were divided
into locals and invaders, attributing to the former the responsibility of maritime discoveries.
Finally, we put forward three reasons for this discrepancy, considering the context
of the work and the concerns of the author and his contemporaries.Ocampo fue pionero en la elaboración de una historia de España, donde las
fuentes clásicas sustentaban construcciones novedosas inspiradas en el presente. Aquí se
estudia un pasaje de su obra, que recoge la antigua noticia del hallazgo cartaginés de una
isla, identificada en la época con América, analizando el contraste con su esquema habitual
que divide a los gaditanos entre locales e invasores y atribuye a los primeros las empresas
marítimas. Finalmente, se postulan tres razones para esta desviación, valorándose en el
contexto de la obra y de las inquietudes del autor y sus contemporáneos
