2. Caribbean Sea Before Hernán Cortes and his men made their way through Mexico and eventually conquered the Aztecs, Spain had already had a significant presence throughout the Caribbean. Beginning with the voyage of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish crown made itself known to the native population, and Spain solidified its power and influence in the New World. I will describe the encounters Christopher Columbus had with some of the natives in the Caribbean, possible problems in his accounts, and the Spanish-ruled island of Cuba.
3. Christopher Columbus is seen by many as a great leader of a voyage that discovered the New World. This image of a great voyage leader is inaccurate because there are many instances where he lied to his crew members as to how far they had traveled in a day. "We sailed sixteen and a half leagues. I have decided to log less than our true run, so that if the voyage is long the crew will not be afraid and lose heart.” 1Whether or not one interprets this as a sign of bad leadership or good leadership, it is important that one questions Columbus, his motives, and his credibility through statements like this. One of the ships in Columbus's fleet, the Pinta (a ship Columbus was not even on), made the first discovery of land. "Then the Pina, being faster and in the lead, sighted land an made the signal as I had ordered. The first man to sight land was called Rodrigo de Triana.” 2 This sighting of land was significant because it gave Columbus the opportunity to gain the support of his fellow men and ultimately the Spanish crown. After the sighting of land, Columbus embarked onto the island with his men to encounter and unknown group of people.
4. On one of the islands that Columbus explored, he tried to gain support for the Spanish crown by distributing gifts to the natives. "That was my purpose in giving him presents and letting him go: to make them think well of us, so that when Your Majesties send someone else here he may be well received.” 3This shows that Columbus was not interested in helping out the native population, but rather he wanted to ensure a good reputation for the Spanish crown and people who represented or acted on behalf of the Spanish crown.
5. A problem with Columbus's account comes when he attempts to, or says he attempts to, communicate with the natives on one of the islands. He says that he communicated with the natives by signs. "I set sail, then, at about ten o'clock with the wind se, veering southerly, to cross to this other island. It is very large, and all the men from San Salvador tell me by signs that there is a lot of gold, which the people wear as bracelets and legbands, and in their ears and noses, and round their necks.” 4The problem with this statement is that it was impossible for Columbus to communicate by signs because he and the natives used different signs which had been constructed by their respective societies. Because of their limited time together, we must question whether or not Columbus was actually able to communicate with the natives by means of signs.
6. After Columbus had made his way through the Caribbean, the Spaniards made permanent settlements, one of the most important of which was Cuba. HernánCortes and his men set out from there on his journey, even though there was some opposition from Diego Velazquez. "And when the above-mentioned fleet was ready Your Royal Highnesses' captain Fernando Cortes left the island of Fernandina with ten caravels and four hundred soldiers.” 5This set the stage for the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
7. Notes 1. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992), p. 85. 2. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992), p. 93. 3. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992), p. 98. 4. John Cummins, The Voyage of Christopher Columbus (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992), p. 98. 5. Hernan Cortes, Letters From Mexico (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986). p. 11.
