The story of Catalina de Erauso is a shocking and interesting tale of one woman’s adventure. I had never heard of Catalina de Erauso before reading the extract from her memoir. Her tale seems fictional to me; I find it difficult to believe that all these events actually happened, it also bothers me that I will never know the truth. I can’t deny the fact that Catalina was a brave young woman, what child would have the confidence to leave everything they know, and continue on a journey on their own? Catalina’s story paints a picture of the unimaginable at that time, it’s filled with action and adventure, and so it’s easy to understand where it’s popularity stems from.

What I found the most interesting of Catalina’s memoir was her ability to remain concealed. Her father and mother did not recognize her. This can be seen when Catalina’s father is searching for her, and even though she can hear the anguish in his voice when he says that he’s been looking for his daughter, she decides to run away from him. For me, that shows that Catalina was very strong, and not only that but for her to be able to leave him despite seeing his pain is remarkable. We can see that Catalina misses her family, she ran away from the convent and left her family, and yet she still attends her mother’s mass, at her old convent. She acted like she had no idea what was going on, but to pretend must have been a difficult task, considering that her mother was sitting steps away from her, and didn’t even recognize her.

Another interesting part of the memoir had to be when the pope let Catalina continue with her adventures despite the fact that she had chosen a path that was considered unusual for women at that time. She could continue on her journey as long as she remained a virgin, the fact that she was dressing like a man was not even considered an issue. This made me question why the Catholic Church was more concerned about keeping Catalina, a woman, pure. Maybe it was because she had made a great contribution to the Spaniards, and they would prefer her to remain a part of their armada. I can’t say that Catalina’s story changes my perspective on colonists, as she did similar things too, but I still find her story to be astonishing whether it’s fiction or not.

While reading Christopher Columbus’ own personal diary from his voyage to America, a lot of childhood memories came to mind. I remember while I was living in Costa Rica that Columbus was seen as something of a hero. Some of my classmates would even fight to play Columbus at the annual school play. So like many of my classmates, I regarded Columbus in the same way, the possibility of him being anything else didn’t exist yet. Now, that I have been able to develop my own opinion, I don’t see Columbus as this great figure, but instead, he’s just another explorer who’s only goal is to please himself.

The diary of Christopher Columbus depicts him as ignorant, and selfish. After a long journey he comes to find land, where he is welcomed by the native people. This might be where the idea of the merging of two cultures in a mutually respectful, and harmonious way comes into play. While the motives of the natives might have been peaceful, Columbus’ was not. Columbus just wanted to please the King and Queen of Spain, at whatever cost. He did not respect the natives, this can be seen when he claimed their land as they watched on. His eagerness to please the King and Queen is also continuously shown when he mentions his plans to convert the natives to Christianity. Columbus’s plans to learn the people’s language is only motivated by the idea of pleasing the King and Queen. He assumes that by learning their language the Spanish could have an insight into the lives of the people, and when the King and Queen come they’ll find a city and a fort built and a land that is converted (p.127).  Columbus completely disregarded the possibility that the native people may have their own customs, and plans for the future of their land. Which was a common imperialist idea of that time. Columbus also describes the land as beautiful and fertile (p.102), he constantly draws comparisons between the new land and the one back in Spain. This is might have been a method that Columbus employs to make his discovery inviting to the King and Queen. By describing his new found land as something they already know, the new land may not seem as that big of a mystery.

The diary of Christopher Columbus was written in a certain way to appeal to his superiors, I wonder if he deliberately ‘forgets’ to tell the truth at times. There’s no way to know for certain what happened on October 12, 1492, but I do wonder if there are other diaries that can contradict what Columbus wrote. He was after all no great hero, but simply another explorer who had to answer to his superiors above all.

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Hello everyone!

My name’s Maria, I’m a first year Art student here at UBC. I was born in Peru, then I moved to Costa Rica when I was 3 or 4 years old. Having been so young when I moved, I’m saddened to say that I don’t remember much about Peru. On the other hand, Costa Rica to me has always been a welcoming, and friendly place. Having grown up in a Latino household, I would I identify myself as a Latina. I have lived in Canada for around 10 years now, and I’m proud to call Vancouver my home.

Since I moved to Canada when I was young, I wasn’t able to fully understand Latin culture. Which is one of the reasons why I joined Latin American Studies. This is a great opportunity for me to learn about Peruvian culture, but to also learn about other cultures in South America. In my experience History class has always been a place to learn about Western cultures. Latin America has unfortunately been excluded from the subject, rendering it a mystery to many.

I’m excited to see where the semester takes me. I look forward to not only learning about Latin America, but also to learning a bit about myself in the process.