Morgan Rea
Cluster Final Project
5-15-14
Unnamed: Columbus and the Desire for Power
History may be written by the victors, but that does not mean the losers never existed, nor does it mean
that their voices did not matter. One could easily view Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the New
World, as the ultimate historical victor, for he gained power in the form of riches, fame, and control of the
historical narrative. This control over the historical narrative ultimately allowed Columbus to create his
own myth, worthy of a memorial. This memorial Unnamed does not honor Columbus and his myth.
There are greater stories to tell. Thus, the purpose of Unnamed is to serve as form of agency that
ultimately returns control of this historical narrative to the millions lost in history due to the conquest of
the New World. As evinced by this conquest of the New World and the consequent destruction of the
indigenous, the message of this memorial shines clear: the quest for power comes at a too great of a price
– a price often paid by the oppressed, the “Others.” Thus, humans should remain wary of the desire for
power.
The monument would reside right outside the General Archive of the Indies, in between the entrance to
the archives and the entrance to the Cathedral of Seville, which houses the tomb of Columbus. The
General Archive was constructed in “1785 by order of King Charles III of Spain” who wanted to gather
“all documents referring to the Indies in a single place” (Gobierno de España). Since its foundation, the
Archive housed documents from the main institutions concerning the Indies; eventually, the Archive
became the main “main document repository for the study of the Spanish Administration in the New
World” (Gobierno de Espana). Over these three centuries, the sources have grown so that the Archives
now contain “the most complete and documented historical view of the Spanish Administration of the
New World” (Gobierno de Espana). The sheer amount of resources as well as the beauty of the building
would impress any visitors who explore the building, yet the most surprising aspect of this space may be
what it lacks: any trace of the indigenous culture of the New World. The architecture of the actual
Archives mimics that of a great European library, and had one not know about the contents of the
documents, the presence of the indigenous would remain unknown. This lack of indigenous presence
continues beyond the architecture and decoration of the Archives, for just across from this building is the
Cathedral of Seville, famous not simply because of its impressive architecture. Built in 1403 on the site of
a mosque, this Cathedral too lacks any hint of the culture Columbus discovered in the New World
(UNESCO). What the Cathedral does not lack, however, Columbus’ tomb. With four elaborately
decorated cloaked figures supporting a large chest, the tomb appears worthy of a king. Thus, in between
the Cathedral (which celebrates Columbus) and the Archives (which detail his discovery), the monument
would stand.
This place is fitting for the memorial for several reasons. First, it would insert a voice of the oppressed in
the middle of a space which exudes the myth of Columbus as the great “discover of the New World.” This
contrast between the small, oppressed voice of the indigenous and the dominant voice of Spain would
highlight the contrast between the two historical narratives of the dominant and oppressed. The very
presence of this indigenous voice would challenge the space. Consequently, it would force the visitors of
the memorial, who would mostly consist of tourists and scholars (Spanish and foreign), to challenge the
myth of Columbus. This challenge of Columbus’ myth would ultimately compel people to reflect on the
consequences of Columbus’ actions in his quest for power, which would subsequently force them to
reflect on the desire for power and its cost to the oppressed. The realization of the cost of the pursuit of
power would further challenge the surrounding Church and Archives and their dominant historical voices
(one can see this dominant voice not simply through the lack of indigenous presence but also through the
construction of a church over the site of a former mosque), thus changing the space.
The placement of the memorial, however, remains insufficient to completely convey the message about
the price of power. The memorial itself must convey this message, and it does. The memorial consists of
two main sections, divided by two walls. On one side of the divide are three figures. These figures
represent the voiceless “Others.” Specifically, they represent the millions of lives and countless cultures
lost in the conquest of the New World. The facelessness and lack of any defining features further
emphasizes their absent voices in historical narratives. They are the lost. They are the forgotten. They are
the nameless. The first figure stands tall with arms proudly offering a large medallion with the quetzal on
it. This figure represents the indigenous before the conquest. Before Columbus came to the shores of the
New World, believing that the natives would “be easily made Christians,” the indigenous tribes of the
new world had their own cultures and religions (Columbus 111). Without the imposition of Spanish
hierarchy and Christianity, the indigenous could proudly offer and celebrate their own culture, as
represented by the strong posture and offering of the medallion. The quetzal on this medallion symbolizes
the strong indigenous culture and presence in the new world before the genocide.
The second figure of the “Others” holds a must different posture from its predecessor. Now the figure
kneels, no longer proudly offering the medallion but struggling to hold it above the ground with a chain.
This figure represents the struggle of the indigenous as the Spanish conquest begins. True to his word,
Columbus and the Spanish conquistadors began to make “good servants” and Christians of the indigenous
upon their return to the new world by cruelly enslaving and murdering the natives (Columbus 111).
Amidst this violence and loss of life, land, and liberty, the indigenous struggled to retain their culture. The
kneeling position of the figure reflects the weakening of the once great indigenous empires, now ravaged
by war and disease. The medallion, which shows the face of the sun god, represents this indigenous
culture, and the figure’s struggle to hold on to the heavy medallion reflects the indigenous struggle of
cultural retention. The memorial further emphasizes this point, for unlike the previous figure, which
directly held the medallion, the second figure can only support the medallion with a chain. This chain
reveals that direct connection to the indigenous culture no longer exists. Like the Popol Vuh who were
compelled to access their indigenous religion through a Christian-influenced text, the figure can only
connect to the medallion through a chain. Thus, the second figure embodies the weakening of the
indigenous with the increasing Spanish presence.
The final figure on that side of the monument holds the weakest pose, as the figure struggles to support its
body, with one arm outstretched. This weakness of this figure represents the indigenous after the
conquest. The medallion which continues to represent the indigenous culture, now lays on the ground,
indicative of the total destruction of indigenous way of life due to the imposition of Spanish colonial
hierarchy and Christianity. The fact that the figure lacks any connection to the medallion further
emphasizes the disconnection between the culture that the indigenous once held near and their current
lives in colonial society. The indigenous communities have lost and forgotten most of their culture as they
struggle to survive. The desperate posture of the figure further highlights the utter weakness of the
indigenous communities against the Spanish conquest, yet the most important aspect of this figure is what
it lacks: its right hand. In one last desperate movement the figure reaches outs its right arm, forcing its
right hand through to the other side of the walls. Thus, the third figure represents the utter decimation of
the indigenous culture due to the imposition of Spanish hierarchy.
Taken together, the three figures of the indigenous represent the complete destruction of a people and a
culture. As the Spanish changed the space of the New World by imposing their own hierarchy and
religion, the indigenous communities weakened, ultimately abandoning their culture. This ultimate
destruction is the price of power, paid for by the oppressed indigenous. Thus, this portion of the memorial
should remind that price of power remains too great to bear.
As the third figure of the indigenous forces its hand into the wall, the hand reappears in the section of the
memorial which contains the figure of Columbus. The memorial dresses Columbus in garb and adorns
him with a hat that people often see in portraits of Columbus. This is done so that visitors may
immediately recognize the figure as Columbus. In this memorial, Columbus bends over a podium, writing
in a journal titled “Journal of the First Voyage of Columbus.” The presence of this journal serves a far
more powerful purpose than simply emphasizing the identity of the figure. Rather, this journal symbolizes
the control of the historical narrative. Whoever has the power can control this narrative and consequently
create any historical myth they desire. At first glance, the visitor may view Columbus as controlling the
narrative as he bends over the podium, quill in hand, yet a closer look reveals that the claws of a dark
figure truly hold the quill. This dark figure – coming from the ground, entwined around the leg and
shoulder of Columbus to insinuate its close relationship with the great navigator – represents the human
desire for power and control. The fact that the dark figure guides the quill indicates that Columbus’ desire
for power ultimately controls the narrative, leaving the indigenous voiceless (he even describes that
natives as “simple-minded,” immediately negating their voice in his narrative) (Columbus 114). The
memorial further emphasizes that the desire for power controls the narrative in the form of Columbus’
eye, which is filled with a pure gold bulb instead of a regular eye. The lack of a human eye demonstrates
that gold, another form of power, literally blinds Columbus, causing him to construct the historical
narrative in a manner that augments his own personal power. This augmentation of Columbus’ personal
power comes at the expense of the indigenous, as seen in the other portion of the memorial. The only
attempt to stop this manipulation of the narrative comes from the small, nearly unnoticeable, hand of the
indigenous person which feebly reaches for the tail of the dark figure which represents the human desire
for power. This hand represents the desperate attempt of the oppressed to overcome the desire for
domination and insert their voice in history. Thus, by allowing the hand to reach across the in-between
space and reach for the dark figure, the memorial inserts the voice of the “Others” in the historical
narrative, yet it only does so through an attempt to subvert the desire for power.
The last portion of the monument is the space in between the two walls. This space most importantly
represents the divide between the powerful, who control the historical narrative, and the “Others” who
struggle to insert themselves in the narrative. To read the writing on the two walls, visitors must literally
stand in between Columbus and the indigenous figures. This stance ultimately reminds visitors of their inbetween position: They could oppress or they can be oppressed. Furthermore, this space between two
walls epitomizes the dual relationship between people’s behavior and the space they occupy. This space
between the two walls reveals that the visitors are literally the only obstacle standing between the
oppressor and the oppressed. This changes the thoughts of the visitor by reminding them that they have a
moral obligation to resist the desire for power and stand up for the marginalized. Conversely, visitors can
choose to either accept or reject this obligation; they can change this place between two walls into a space
that represents justice or apathy. One wall lists the names of several wars and genocides in recent history,
reminding visitors of the effects of this apathy. This ultimately serves as a reminder to visitors that the
oppressed pay the price of power even today. Each war and genocide decimates cultures, kills innocents,
and renews the cycle of oppression. Voices of the “Others” still become lost even in modern history. A
dedication of this memorial exists on the opposite wall, stating, “For the people who were murdered, for
the cultures that were lost, for the stories that were forgotten, so that those who pursued power could call
themselves ‘hero.’” This dedication similarly serves as a reminder that people, like Columbus, (who
pursue power in order to create their own myth) ultimately do so at the expense of the less powerful.
Thus, this again warns visitors about the cost of power.
Finally, several simple materials would construct the memorial. The three figures representative of the
indigenous would be formed from a super-alloy of Nickel and Cobalt; this super alloy resists corrosion
very well. Thus it would remain unchanged throughout the years outside. On the other hand, Columbus
and his podium would be constructed entirely from pure iron. Pure iron, though lustrous in appearance at
first, easily oxidizes and forms rusts. Thus, as time passes, the shine of Columbus and his narrative will
rust away, while the indigenous figures will remain unchanged. Thus, the ugliness of the desire for power
will appear in time, and the indigenous (who remained voiceless) will ultimately shine bright. This
inversion serves the original intent of the memorial: to give voice to the oppressed. Lastly, the dark figure
as well as the walls will be carved from black stone. The color literally shows the dark side of the pursuit
of power, and the durability of the stone will serve as a reminder that the pursuit of power always exists.
The name of the memorial “Unnamed” embodies the essence of the monument. It recognizes the
existence of the oppressed figures that remained unnamed in history, giving voice to them. The name of
this memorial, however, is not sufficient to convey the true message. The figures of Columbus and the
indigenous as well as the walls and materials used in the memorial all give voice to the “others” and
convey the ultimate message: the price of power is too high.
Works Cited
Columbus, Christopher. Journal of the First Voyage of Columbus. Wisconsin Historical Society, 2003.
Print.
“Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville.” UNESCO. World Heritage Convention. 2014.
Web.
“History of the General Archive of the Indies.” Minisitry of Education, Culture, and Sports. Spanish
Government. Web.