Kendall Vrana
ENGL204010
Close Reading 1
2/21/14
From “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage”
“As I know that you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my
voyage, I write this to you, from which you will learn how in thirty-three days, I passed from the
Canary Islands to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen our
sovereigns gave to me. And there I found very many islands filled with people innumerable, and
of them all I have taken possession for their highnesses, by proclamation made and with the
royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me. To the first island which I found I
gave the name San Salvador, in remembrance of the Divine Majesty, Who has marvelously
bestowed al this; the Indians cal it “Guanahani”. To the second I gave the name Isla de Santa
Maria de Concepcion; to the third, Fernandina; to the fourth, Isabella; to the fifth, Isla Juana, and
so to each one I gave a new name.”
In this opening paragraph of Columbus’s letter to his sponsors, King Ferdinand II and
Queen Isabella of Spain, the explorer is careful to appeal to both the royals’ faith as well as their
ego by showering them with flattery. Being his first expedition, Columbus is quick to assure
them that everything is going smoothly, and that their resources have been well invested in him.
Even in this brief excerpt, however, we can see the superiority Columbus feels in regard to the
native people and lands he is invading, which foreshadows future relations between natives and
settlers for decades to come.
Christianity was a motivating force in Spain’s decision to expand. Aware of this,
Columbus humbly credits his “great victory” to God. He crowns the first island “San Salvador”,
which roughly translates to “Savior”, “in remembrance of the Divine Majesty”. To a reader not
familiar with Spanish, it may be confusing as to whether this island has been named in honor of
the King and Queen or God, as royalty was sometimes seen to be divine. Considering “Divine
Majesty” is capitalized, however, where “king and queen” were not, gives a clue that he is
meaning God, in addition to the capitalization of the word “Who”. This naming is significant
because it is Columbus’s first worldly achievement, and it speaks to the power of his faith that he
would name it in honor of the one that “marvelously bestowed all this”, i.e., made it possible.
That is, it was either his own personal faith that drove him to do this, or perhaps to please his
Christian sponsors. He goes on to name his second island “Isla de Santa Maria de Conception”
in reference to Mary’s virgin conception.
Columbus does not forget to flatter the people that made it possible, however. He names
two other islands “Fernandina” and “Isabella”, in their honor. He calls them “the most
illustrious king and queen” when crediting them with making his voyage possible, and claims his
discovered territory “for their highnesses”. It is important to note that his first two islands were
named for God, however, as even royalty recognizes themselves to be below Him.
It is important to note Columbus’s attitude toward the native people in this brief excerpt.
When talking about the islands, he does mention that there were already “people innumerable”
inhabiting them, but then goes on to say that “of them all (he) has taken possession”. This is a
powerful statement on its own, the concept that one person can take possession of, or own,
another, let alone entire groups of people. It is clear he views these natives to be inferior, and
while he notes that there was “no opposition” to his claiming, he does not consider that these
people would not have the communication to object or experience with such things to understand
exactly what was going on. No doubt, he took their silence as a sign of willing submission,
including this bit to impress upon his sponsors how smoothly he has things running. When
talking of the names he gave to his first island he even mentioned that “the Indians call it
“Guanahani””, showing his lack of respect or interest in the traditions or culture of the native
people by renaming it. This attitude of superiority sets a base for how relations between natives
and colonists will be in years to come.