I guess, I’ll start by admitting that I didn’t manage to finish the entire reading this week. I was a little short on time, but I read as much of Columbus’s journal as I could, and even from what I did read, there were a few things that really stood out to me. Going into this reading i though it would just be about the exploration, discovering the americas and documenting what he found. I found what interested me most was how Columbus interpreted everything he encountered.
Something I found almost funny at times was how determined Columbus was to make everything fit what he already believed. He leaves Spain expecting to reach the Indies, and even when he encounters places and people that don’t necessarily match those expectations, he doesn’t really question it. Like when he reached Cuba and continues to search for the great khan. It made me think, was columbus actually trying to discover a “new” world or just shape what he saw into what he already understood.
The communication between Columbus and the Indigenous people made this even more interesting. He repeatedly admits that they communicate mostly through signs and that he has difficulty understanding them, yet he still draws some pretty huge conclusions from these interactions. Whenever someone seems to gesture toward another island or ruler, Columbus somehow ends up connecting it back to gold, spices, or the places he already expects to find. It made me question how much of what we are reading reflects what the Indigenous people were actually communicating and how much is simply Columbus hearing what he wants to hear.
The way Columbus describes the Indigenous people, He seems genuinely impressed by their generosity and friendliness. At the same time, he notices their lack of European weapons and quickly begins thinking about how easily they could be controlled. At one point, he even claims, the Spanish could “keep the whole population in subjection and make them do whatever one wanted.” I found that shift pretty disturbing. The same peacefulness and generosity that Columbus admires also become reasons, in his mind, that these people could be exploited.
That contradiction is probably what I’ll remember most from what I read. Columbus seem genuinely wondering at the people and places around him, but he is also evaluating them at the same time: Can they be converted? Where is the gold? What can this land provide? How easily could these people be controlled? It made the journal feel like more than just a record of exploration. In a way, it also becomes a record of how Columbus sees the world, and sometimes that tells us just as much as the things he is actually describing.
Question: Do you think Columbus sees the places and people he encounters for what they are, or is he always seeing them through what he already expects and wants to find?
2 replies on “Columbus”
Hello Muhtadi!
Yes! You’ve put this so nicely actually. When I read his entries I felt like there was a bit of facetiousness happening. What you’ve mentioned about him making things fit into what he desired makes all the more sense. What a great way to think of this.
In response to your question, I think that he is seeing things through the lens of what he already espects to find. I would also add that he might also be putting things this way to fit what maybe the Monarchs wanted him to find.
Hi Muhtadi.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Your response shows strong critical thinking, especially in how you question how Columbus’s expectations shaped his interpretation of the Indigenous people and places he encountered. I particularly liked your point that the journal tells us as much about Columbus’s worldview as it does about his voyage.
I would encourage you to support your arguments with a few more specific examples from the text and develop the contradiction you identify between Columbus admiring Indigenous people while also viewing them as exploitable. Overall, this is a thoughtful response that goes beyond summary and engages with the reliability and perspective of a primary source.
This comment is from Alex Norena.