Davidson, Miles H. “Occupation, Gold, and Religion.” Columbus Then and Now: A Life Reexamined. Norman: U of Oklahoma, 1997. 262-83. Print.

From the time of landing (1492) Christopher Columbus never really knew that he discovered a new continent. To the extent of his understanding, he had arrived on an island in the West Indies close to what is now Japan (Cipango in Columbus’ texts). Columbus created his descriptions of the new world, not from a new-discovery point of view, but from imagery borrowed from the “The Travels of Marco Polo”. Columbus’ descriptions of the new world resemble the depictions of the far east, often roaming into the realm of fantasy. Nonetheless, after the first voyage, Columbus’ journals stop referencing the Great Khan (Emperor of China), which might be an indication of the realization that he was indeed far from mainland china, or Asia per se. The chapter in general covers and reexamines the events after the voyages and what can be taken away to broaden the understanding about the imagining that Columbus’ brought to the new world with him. The expectations and outcomes of these initial expeditions are also examined, pointing out the role the Spanish crown had in the financing and what they sought from the whole enterprise. The examination of how these expectations change with every subsequent piece of information brought back give an insight to the initial discovery and treatment of the New World.

Bodmer, Beatriz Pastor. “Cristóbal Colón Y La Representación Del Botín Americano.” El Segundo Descubrimiento: La Conquista De América Narrada Por Sus Coetáneos (1492-1589). Barcelona: Edhasa, 2008. 25-100. Print.

Beatriz Pastor examines Columbus’ imagining of the new world and his role in the creation of a cultural imagining of the continent. Pastor examines Columbus’ descriptions in his journals and compares the narrative to that of earlier scholars and explorers such as Marco Polo, John Mandeville, and Oderico de Pordenone. Pastor suggests that Columbus never knew where he actually was. Calling the natives ‘indios’ (from india), searching for fantastic treasures from the middle east, and basing his journey on wrong calculations, imply that Columbus was indeed convinced that he was in the west indies near Cipango (Japan). Columbus had the idea (taken from Marco Polo’s Travels) that the Great Khan, emperor of Cathay, (China) and oriental people didn’t want to necessarily accept Christianity as a superior religion, thus making religious conquest and evangelization one of the objectives of this voyage. Upon arriving to the West Indies, Columbus is surprised by the fact that indigenous peoples seem non-religious and easy to convert. He saw himself as a bringer of Christianity to the middle east, land of magic and barbarians. This ties in spirit to the crusader mentality in which war was based on religion and evangelization. In general, Pastor reexamines Columbus’ imagining of the new world, his role in the creation of a continental imagery, and where he came from and his ideas prior to arriving to the new world.