His nautical experience and his leadership remained patent in the 1508–1536 lawsuits known as the "pleitos colombinos" ("Columbian lawsuits"), where the witnesses indicated him as the leader of the "comarca" (a region comparable to a shire). He was also famous for his battles against the Portuguese in the War of the Castilian Succession. It is probable that even while in Portugal before coming to Spain, Columbus was aware of Martín Alonso, because he was known for his participation in the war, as well as for his incursions into the Afro-Atlantic waters in the wake of the Portuguese, traveling to the Canary Islands and Guinea, with their rich fisheries and the commercial possibility of trade in gold, spices, and slaves.