The journal of Christopher Columbus is truly an eyeopening reading. There are so many thoughts on this character in history and his role in the colonization period for America after his discovery. However it is important to to remark how, as we can perceive from reading his journals he is not even aware of where he is, nor that he has just opened the doors to what will be next called the new world.
By the description in his journal we can become aware of how does Columbus perceives the indigenous people, we can feel from his words a sense of superiority. For me even though it is shocking to even think about a human being feeling more than another, I also believe it is an understandable behavior from his part due to the context he has just lived in. Europe in those times had already conquered parts of Africa and Asia, therefore this perception had been already implanted on his thoughts before.
It was interesting to see the evolution and true interests of trade as we keep reading the journal. At the beginning it is a true exchange, give me and I give you. However as they see that the natives get impressed with broken plates and glasses they exchange that with them, practically giving them their trash in exchange for the food the people gave them to welcome them. Some natives thought these were people from heaven, my guess about this is the way they dressed which was obviously very unconventional for indigenous people to see, the size of the ships they were coming with, as well as all the technology they brought with them, all of these must have impressed them, and at the same time could have scared some of them as well. I would like also to be able to imagine what was it for them to feel invaded by these race who looked different with a lighter skin color and spoke a completely different language. This was what we know today as the first encounter of the two worlds.
Finally I would like to comment on the ambition of Columbus, he was triggered to explore as many islands and lands he could and report this to the King and Queen of Spain via his journal. As well as, in my opinion the reason he recorded everything and coordinates as well, was because he was feeling confident that someone else would come back to exploit these lands after him. He thought he had just discovered a new route to the Indias, and that he would gain recognition for it. However t=he was doing further than that, just he never realized.