Columbus’ Letter: A Statement of his Findings or Self-Serving Flattery? When Christopher Columbus reached the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, he believed himself to have been successful at finding a sea route from Spain to East Asia. After spending three months on three islands in the region, he and his fleet returned to Spain to present his findings. During the voyage, Columbus composed a letter detailing the discovery. This letter was sent to Luis de Santángel who conveyed its contents to King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I in Barcelona. (Andrea 411) The letter is interesting as it provides a glimpse into the mind of Christopher Columbus and how he thought of the expedition, the region, and its inhabitants. Columbus begins his letter by declaring that he claimed all of the islands in the region for the rulers who sent him. He describes these islands as being incredibly fertile and containing a vast variety of physical features. He writes about the great quantity of gold within the region, contrasting with the fact that gold was not incredibly common there. (Andrea 412) He describes the mines of metals in the region to be “great” and asserts that many spices are found. Following this, Columbus wrote about the people inhabiting the region. His descriptions come across as condescending, mentioning several times that their weapons are ineffective due to a lack of understanding of metallurgy.
According to Columbus, the indigenous people were passive and unwilling to use their weapons. However, he doesn’t say how he determined this, leading to the question of whether he expected them to be outwardly violent and whether he attempted to provoke them. Columbus also attempted to bribe the people with goods into helping him and his crew. He recorded that he also wanted the gifts to convert the people to the Christian faith and “be inclined to the love and service of their highness and of the whole Castilian nation.” He noted that the indigenous people believed that he, his ships, and his crew were of a supernatural nature. However, he gave them some credit and suggested that this was because the native people had never seen ships of clothed men before. In his exploration of the three islands, Columbus’ letter suggests that he took advantage of the fact that the natives believed him to be a divine incarnation. He wrote that after landing, he “took by force some of them” and somehow managed to extract information about the island. He also stated that the native people are very inclined” to the conversion to Christianity. This is strange, as he never wrote that he could verbally communicate with the indigenous people. In fact, he recorded the observation that all people he encountered communicating using the same language, when in fact there were multiple languages being spoken within the region. (Andrea 413) Gradually throughout the letter, a modern day reader can sense an increasing amount of embellishment of the new land rather than simple facts.
Columbus stated that third island he encountered, which he named Española, was larger than the country of Spain. As someone leading a nautical voyage, it isn’t far-fetched to assume he was aware this was not the case. In other cases, it seems that Columbus combined expectations based on reading the works of explorers of Asia such as Marco Polo and John Mandeville with observations in the Bahamas. Accounts by these explorers sometimes contained similar content, such as myths of islands populated by one gender. Mandeville’s account of an island exclusive to women involved them all being violent warriors. When mixed with a local rumor among the native people of an island dominated by women, the accounts of other explorers possibly led Columbus to the conclusion that the women on that island were warriors as well. (Andrea 413) Additionally, he references another island where the inhabitants are hairless, another similarity to an account from Maneville. (Andrea 414) Once again it seems he is writing to impress his investors, as he swears that the aforementioned island is even larger than the island he left, which itself was larger than Spain.
Embellishments aside, Christopher Columbus made a great effort to accomplish what he set out to do. Having found what he thought was Asia, he believed that he had found a route directly from Spain that could be used for trade. Following this, he made an effort to prove that the region was an asset to Spain. He claimed that the region was incredibly large and listed the valuable resources in the region such as gold, spices, and people which could be enslaved. Columbus also made claims that the people in the region were impressionable and could be converted to Christianity, furthering the spread of the religion as well as the influence of Spain. However, it could be argued that the letter is an example of puffery and praise seeking, as it seems to list only positive and exciting features of the islands, rather than painting an overall picture of the region.
The accounts of other explorers detailed exotic and foreign lands full of surprises. Columbus, expecting to find the same things, had his observations distorted by preconceived notions. Finding readily available valuables such as varieties of spices and metals reinforced his belief that he had landed where he intended. Similarities between legends in the region and the experiences of Asian explorers also played a part in assuring Columbus that he was where he intended. Since he was expecting to sail across the ocean into Asia, the arrival in a region containing different topography, flora, and people supported the confidence that he was where he wanted to be. While Columbus did not actually discover a sea route to Asia, he was the first European to land in the Bahamas. His confusion is understandable however, as he connected many observations in the Bahamas to the observations of explorers in Asia. Even though he had not arrived where he thought, he returned to Spain with a letter addressing a great number of positive qualities of the region he had landed. He believed that he had claimed a great asset for Spain, and was eager to prove it. In addition to the land and resources, he believed that the indigenous people would also be an asset to Spain, either through converting to Christianity or through being taken as slaves. Columbus may not have been satisfied with his accomplishment, as parts of the letter do seem to contain embellishment to make his findings seem more significant. While some parts of the letter have dubious origins, the letter itself is an asset to understanding the motives of his voyage.
