Christopher Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo (Wikipedia Commons)
Presumed to have been born in 1450 in Genoa, Christopher Columbus was a cartographer, "navigator" and "colonizer" (1). At the behest and patronage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Columbus made four voyages in search of gold and spices in the West Indies; there he encountered indigenous tribes that he mistakenly dubbed "Indians" (542). As we now recognize, his initial voyage accidentally discovered North America. Once credited as having "discovered" the "New World," Christopher Columbus's reputation has diminished over time due to the early attempts to Christianize and/or enslave the native peoples of Hispaniola--what is now Haiti and Dominican Republic--the former purpose, Christianization, became the 'official' purpose of later voyages. However, Columbus encountered trials and difficulties during subsequent voyages. He "returned to Hispaniola to find the fort he had left there destroyed and his men lost, and a great deal more hostility from the Indians who had suffered their depredations" (542). Meanwhile, the once ardent patrons of his voyages refused him the "reward and recognition" he felt he was owed. Our text further points out that the indigenous Tainos in the Caribbean suffered the blight of diseases like smallpox; war, and the horrors of Spanish colonization (542).
Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways does Columbus's report in Letter does the author convey the mindset of the European colonizer?
2. How does Columbus describe "Espaniola"? With what prospects does he describe the island? How does he describe the inhabitants of the island?
3. How do the indigenous peoples respond to the Europeans? Why is it significant that they (the island inhabitants) all speak the same or similar languages?
4. How does Columbus describe the social structure of this tribe?
5. How does religion figure into Columbus's journey?
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