Pinta

Pinta is a term with multiple meanings in different contexts, including a tropical skin disease, a historical ship, and a Spanish word for paint or painted markings. In encyclopedic use, it often appears as a proper noun referring to the ship or as the name of the disease, while as a common noun it denotes paint.

Pinta, the disease, is a chronic infection of the skin caused by the spirochete Treponema carateum, a relative of the organisms that cause syphilis. It occurs mainly in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and is transmitted through direct contact with active skin lesions. The condition presents as hypopigmented patches on exposed areas such as the face and limbs; lesions may be asymptomatic or mildly irritated and can fade with treatment. Diagnosis is typically clinical, supported by laboratory tests such as dark-field microscopy or molecular methods where available; serology for other treponemal infections may be negative. Treatment relies on antibiotics, commonly penicillin G benzathine or doxycycline, with public health measures to prevent transmission.

Pinta also refers to a ship in the era of European exploration. Pinta was one of the three vessels used by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas in 1492, along with Niña and Santa María. The ship’s captain was Martín Alonso Pinzón. The voyage opened sustained contact between Europe and the Americas, and the later fate of the Pinta is not well documented.

Etymologically, pinta means paint or a painted mark in Spanish, derived from Latin pingere. The word is used in various Spanish-language contexts beyond the disease and the ship.