Christopher Columbus the Facts vs. the Myth

8/9/2019 Christopher Columbus the Facts vs. the Myth

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Christopher Columbus: The Facts vs. the Myth

O. Altalib

The year 1492 is presented as a great year for America, for it is the year in which

Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic. According to many American writers,Columbus is a hero. He "discovered America," he "opened up the New World," and he is

"one of the greatest men in history." This, however, is more myth than reality. According

to the facts, Columbus brought misery and atrocity to the Native Americans; and used the

knowledge of Muslim scholars to try and destroy the trade of Muslim merchants.

According to Paul Lunde (Aramco magazine, May/June 1992), Columbus and his

brother Bartholomew made and sold maps for a living. Columbus was a medieval

man and his mind was filled with marvels. It was only after his return from his firstvoyage that he began to search in scholarly works for justifications for the theories

he held. Columbus was good at dead-reckoning and finding his way in unchartedwaters. He was hopeless, however, with the compass and the astrolabe. The Muslims

brought these instruments to Spain, but Columbus did not know how to use them.

Columbus' original purpose was to find a sea route to the Spice Islands (Indonesia)

and China. He wanted to trade European goods for valuable spices directly with the

suppliers, rather than through middlemen. Why? Because for centuries thesemiddlemen had been Muslim merchants.

The Catholic monarchs who sponsored Columbus, Ferdinand and Isabella, lived inSeville in a formerly Muslim palace - the Alcazares Reales. They did not believe that

it was possible to reach China by crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus had to

convince them that the circumference of the earth was small enough for such avoyage to occur and be feasible. He came up with a measurement of 18,756 miles

(the true circumference of the earth is 24,861 miles). Since he was seeking royalsupport far his venture, he needed an authority of more weight than either Marco

Polo or Toscanelli (a geographer from Florence) to underpin this crucial number. Both

these Europeans could be dismissed as fantasists. However, it was not easy todismiss the great authority of the time: Alfraganus. "Alfraganus" is the Latin version

of the name al-Farghani (which refers to Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Farghani).Alfraganus was recognized as one of the greatest astronomers and mathematicians

in the world. Columbus thus used Alfraganus calculations to support his claims.

When Columbus reached the Americas, he thought that Cuba was not an island, but

rather a part of Asia, he sent his Arabic interpreter, Luis de Torres into the interior ofCuba with a letter from the king of Spain to the "Great Khan." The Great Khan is

what Columbus used to refer to the Muslim rulers of India. Luis' diplomatic mission

failed, of course, because the "Great Khan" was nowhere to be found (India wasruled by Muslim rulers since tenth century. India and Turkey were the two great

Muslim powers of the time with great influence and control on a large part of Asia.

The Spaniards and Europeans were already at war with Turkey, therefore the next

best option was to use India to their advantage). This failure had no effect, however,on Columbus obsession with proving that Cuba was part of Asia. He actually farced

his crews to sign a statement that said they believed Cube to be mainland Asia, with

a horrible punishment for anyone who breaks it. That is why Cuba does not appear


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an Columbus' map. The oath asserted that "he had no doubt that this was the

mainland and not an island, and that before many leagues, in navigating along the

said coast, would be found a country of civilized people with some knowledge of theworld...A fine of ten thousand maravedis [Spanish currency] is imposed on anyone

who subsequently says the contrary of what he now said, and on each occasion at

whatever time this occunred; a punishment also of having the tongue off." (Oath

sworn regarding Cuba, 1494)

The myth of Columbus in America claims that Columbus was the person who brought

civilization to the natives. The facts are quite the opposite. One of the greatest evils

done to the natives of the Americas is the name they are called by. Even though theoriginal inhabitants of the Americas continue to be called Indians, they are not

related at all to the actual Indians (the inhabitants of India). It was Columbus'

ignorance, and his belief that he had actually "found" India, which led him to call thenatives Indians. These people are correctly referred to as Native Americans, even

though the term America itself is a European-imposed name. An excellent sourcethat is highly recommended for anyone who would like to know about the

colonization of Central America by the Spaniards is a book called "The Conquest of

America" by Tzvetan Todorov (1984). The references to Columbus' diary below aretaken from this book.

According to Todorov, the purpose of Columbus' journey is, "...to set off on a

crusade to liberate Jerusalem. It happens that the notion is preposterous in his era;

and since he is penniless as well, no one is willing to listen to him. How can a manwithout resources, who wishes to found a crusade realize his dream in the fifteenth

century? All he need do is discover America in order to obtain his funds. Or rather,merely sail to China by the 'direct' Western route since Marco Polo and other

medieval writers have confirmed the fact that gold is 'born' there in abundance."

During his first voyage (Dec. 26, 1492) Columbus writes that he hopes to find gold,

"and that in so great quantity that the Sovereigns within three years would

undertake and prepare to go and conquer the Holy Places." Furthermore he writes: "Ideclared to Your Highness that all the gain of this my enterprise should be spent in

the conquest of Jerusalem; and Your Highness smiled and said that it pleased youand that even without this you had that strong desire."

Even though Columbus was supposedly on a "Christian" mission, his behavior toward

the people he met was nothing to be admired. Columbus perceived the nativeAmericans as inferior beings, and he refers to them in degrading terms in his

writings. The first characteristic of the native Americans to strike Columbus is theabsence of clothes, and that is the first thing he says about them in his diary (on

Nov. 10, 1492): "Presently they saw naked people." His remarks about the nativesare frequently limited to the physical aspects of the people, rather than their culture,

intelligence, or civilization. "They are of the color of the Canary Islanders, neitherblack nor white." (Oct. 11, 1492) "And the women have pretty bodies." (Dec. 21,1492)

Columbus sees the natives as people without law "These people are very gentle and

fearful, naked as I have already said, without weapons and without laws" (Nov. 4,1492) Also, according to Columbus, they "have no religion nor are they idolaters"

(Nov. 27, 1492) Yet, surprisingly, he reverses himself in another passage: "They, are


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credulous; they know that there is a God in the heavens, and remain convinced that

is where we have come from." (Nov. 12, 1492)

Columbus did have some "positive" descriptions of the people, but he contradictshimself once he has more contact with the natives. Early on he writes: "They are the

best people in the world and the most peaceable" (Dec. 16, 1492) "I do not believe

that in all the world there are better men any more than there are better lands"(Dec. 25, 1492) yet later on, he sees himself "surrounded by a million savages filled

with cruelty and inimical to us." (Lettera Rarissima, July 7, 1503)

Columbus belittled the natives for their willingness to exchange, and is surprised at

how "stupid" they were: "Even bits of broken cask-hoops they took in exchange forwhatever they had, like beasts!" (Letter to Santangel, 1493) Columbus does not

seem to grasp the fact that the value of things is relative. Gold is not necessarily

more precious than glass in all times and all places; rather it is more precious thanglass in the European system of exchange.

Columbus also degrades the natives' concept of property, noting that all share what

they own he notes in one passage that a person could go into their house and takewhat they want, and the owners wouldn't mind yet after characterizing the nativesas generous, he reverses himself and characterizes them as thieves. Rather than

recognizing that the natives share everything, he is outraged when they mistakenly

think they can share Columbus' property. Not only is he outraged, he imposes uponthem the most atrocious of punishments (which were common in Christian Spain):

"As on that voyage I made to Cibao, when it happened that some Indian stolesomething or other, if you discover that some among them steal: you must punish

them by cutting off nose and ears, for those are the parts of the body which cannot

be concealed" (April 9, 1494).

Columbus' arrogance and misconceptions of the natives' courage and cowardice also

appear. He boasts: "they have no weapons, and are so fearful that one of our mensuffices to chase away a hundred of them even in jest." (Nov. 10, 1492) The pursuit

of the natives by dogs, another of Columbus' "discoveries," rests on a similarobservation: "For, against the Indians, one dog is equal of ten men." Despite this,

the Europeans carried guns with them and were in continuous fear of being

massacred by the natives. They never dared to fight the natives in hand-to-handcombat, and became used to shooting first and asking questions later.

Rather than bringing peace, freedom and knowledge to the natives, Columbus

brought slavery, war and destruction. This is clear even in Columbus' own attitudes.In one passage he states: "They would make good and industrious servants" (Oct.

11, 1492) And in another: "They are fit to be ruled." (Dec. 16, 1492) Columbuswanted ships from Europe to bring over cattle, and on the way back they would be

filled with slaves: "The conveyors could be paid in cannibal slaves, Fierce but well-made fellows of good understanding, which men wrested from their inhumanity, will

be, we believe, the best slaves that ever were." (Jan. 30, 1494) Amazingly,Columbus is claiming to bring humanity to these people, and at the same time he

makes them into slaves!

While Columbus claimed he was bringing Christianity to the natives, he also had asinister purpose for dealing with them "From here one might send, in the name of

the Holy Trinity, as many slaves as could be sold, as well as a quantity of Brazil


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[timber]. If the information I have is correct it appears that we could sell four

thousand slaves, who might be worth twenty million and more." (1498) It is ironic

that a "great discoverer" on a "civilizing mission" would be boasting about how manyslaves he is able to send back to Spain!

Needless to say, the slaves faced the most horrible conditions under the Spaniards.

This is what happened during the second expedition (according to Michele de Cuneo,a nobleman of Savona): "When our caravels...were to leave Spain, we gathered in

our settlement one thousand six hundred male and female persons of thee Indians,and of these we embarked in our caravels on Feb. 17, 1495, five hundred fifty souls

among the healthiest males and females. Far those who remained we let it be knownin the vicinity that anyone who wanted to take some of them could do so, to the

amount desired; which was done. And when each man was thus provided with

slaves, there still remained about four hundred to who permission was granted to gowhere they wished. Among them wee many women with children still at suck. Since

they were afraid that we might return to capture them once again and in order to

escape us the better, they left their children anywhere on the ground and began toflee like desperate creatures and some fled so far that they found themselves at

seven or eight days distance from our community at Isabella, beyond the mountainand across enormous river; consequently they will henceforth be captured only with

great difficulty...But when we reached the waters off Spain, around two hundred ofthese Indians died. I believe because of the unaccustomed air which is colder than

theirs. We cast them into the sea...We disembarked all the slaves, half of whom

were sick."

We should not discount Christopher Columbus' daring voyages and manyaccomplishments. At the same time, however, we should be truthful about what he

actually did and what he really stood far. Columbus was a colonizer, a bigot, and athief on the grandest scale. he forcefully took the local inhabitant's land, he treated

the natives as if they were animals, and he enslaved the natives for his and other's

profit. Columbus stood for the medieval values of Europe: Expansion, conquest,

nationalism, and the forceful conversion to Christianity, As responsible citizens wemust demand that the truth be told in our children's schools, and that we recognize

Christopher Columbus for who he really was.

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Christopher Columbus the Facts vs. the Myth