With the support of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus made four voyages to the Indies between 1492 and 1504. Though the New World filled Columbus with a sense of wonder, the difficulties of colonization and the political conflict surrounding his voyages continued to discourage him until the end of his life. Record of Columbus' voyages survives through several documents, including a journal and a series of letters written by Columbus himself. Thanks to the range in content and expression found in these documents, readers today are allowed an intimate understanding of Columbus' shifting feelings toward discovery, prosperity, and the New World as he imagined it.