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Christopher Columbus, Self-Taught Geographer Humberto López Torres *

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Christopher Columbus, Self-Taught Geographer Humberto López Torres * Voices ofMexico /October • December, 1992 19 Christopher Columbus, self-taught geographer Humberto López Torres * plague identifies a semi-ruined house character and his yearning for gold. Five hundred years atter his arrival, as his birthplace. In Spain, there are All this was interpreted as a clear Christopher Columbus and his versions (never validated) that indication of his Jewish origin. personality are still objects of polemic, Columbus was born in Plascencia, Columbus' great grandfather was especially regarding his birthplace, the Extremadura; Tortoso, Catalonia; and a farmer from Moconesi, in the high origin of his forebears and his exact even Pontevedra, Galicia. All serious valley of Fontanabuona. His landing place on October 12, 1492. researchers now agree, on grandfather, Giovanni, born in An English writer at the end of documentary evidence, that Moconesi, moved to Quinto. In the the last century started a legend that Christopher Columbus was Genoese. Middle Ages, Jews were neither Columbus was Greek. In 1682, two The question of his homeland farmers nor lived in rural areas. hundred years earlier, another resolved, a novel has been hatched Domenico Colombo, his father, Englishman said Columbus was about his family. The legend of a was active in the Fregoso Party and born in London. In the 1930s, Jewish Columbus arose in Jewish was several times appointed guardian Portuguese amateur historians circles in the 15th century, when of the city gates, a title and devised the thesis that Zarco, the someone named Colombo boasted of responsibility forbidden to Jews and discoverer of Porto Santo and being related to the discoverer. the sons and nephews of converted Madeira, and Christopher Columbus Emphasis was placed on some of Jews at that time. Domenico bought were one and the same person. his features: his aquiline nose, his and sold real estate, also forbidden The city of Calvi, Corsica, still thorough knowledge of the Old to Jews. calls itself the admiral's cradle and a Testament, his mystical or fanatical There are four acceptable hypotheses about where he landed in YVVYYYVVVVVVVIFY YVVVVVVVV VVVVVVVV VVVVVVYVVVYYTY the Bahamas: Guanahaní, Grand Turk- Caicos, Cat Island and the Samaná Christopher Columbus still inspires lively hypothesis about islands close to San debate five hundred years after he Salvador. The last three hypotheses can be demonstrated there was no abyss on the discarded based on information provided by Columbus about the other side of the Atlantic, just more land. His island where he landed on October 12. efforts made the Americas, Europe, Asia and Published in El Financiero, May 21-22, 1992. Africa aware of each other. Journalist. 20 Voices of Mexico /October • December, 1992 After very detailed research, experts It was hard for him to convince The king was unaware of his agree that the landing was on scientists and officials about the death. The chronicler of Valladolid Guanahaní, the Taino name for the viability of his plan. But specialists did not record it, nor did Spain inform island Columbus called San Salvador. such as Friar Antonio de Marchena, the world that its famous discoverer Later called Trianglo, then Guanahaní Father Juan Pérez, both from La had died. again, and then Watling. More Rábida, and Father Diego Deza, A forgotten Columbus was not the recently, the Bahamas government professor at the University of result of occasional negligence. It rechristened it San Salvador. Salamanca and prior of the monastery lasted three centuries, though he left in Insofar as his personality is of St. Stephen, did believe in him. his wake an inescapable reality that concerned, Christopher Columbus had Thanks to them, Don Enrique de modified the geography of the globe the psychological make-up of a Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, and the conscience of Europe. modem man: concrete and practical Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medinacelli, His biography, written by Father to the last detail. He trusted only direct and Queen Isabella herself were Las Casas around 1550, was not experience, which he always strove interested in the plan, the queen published until 1875. A similar work to acquire. He used it to map out his becoming its official sponsor. by Andrea Bernáldez, Columbus' plans and from it conceived his Financing carne from Luis de contemporary, was printed in 1870. grand project. Santangel, a converted Jew and He was neither inept nor intimate friend of King Ferdinand, II inefficient, but did not possess the treasurer of the House of Aragon and Ever since he thought up his plan to principal political gifts of cautious general tax collector, but also a reach the Orient from the west, ). ). bia key , alli 'n lom Tur 4 M ( ( Co I( r .g-(7_,( ac ( ) bas t Isa , ',f(lt Ko r to Torres mer Alber am Covo Mu You're not going to belive this, Captain Columbus. firmness in his decisions and a businessman with ties to Genoese and Columbus had been wavering between profound knowledge of men, the latter Florentine merchants established in Messianism (the conversion of being essential for prudent selection Seville and Cordoba. thousands of souls to the Catholic when handing out posts. While Isabella was alive, faith), and materialism (searching for The image of Columbus as a Columbus had access to the Court and gold). To his arguments based on mere adventurer is false, though he four trips were authorized. When she geography and cartography, he added never spurned and often or perhaps died on November 26, 1504, he no substantial doses of fantasy to always pursued adventure. But his longer had a sponsor and, though his convince his sponsors. plan to reach the Orient by sailing son Diego belonged first to the During the riskiest first voyage, west was neither impulse nor queen's, then to the king's guards because they were heading into the improvisation. It was the result of a —and carne to be a shrewd member of unknown, Columbus shaved the rigorous study of geography, the Court, skillful at getting favors-- number of miles' sailed daily to make consulted, modified, discussed and he achieved nothing in his father's the sailors believe they had covered a finally accepted by those who behalf. Afflicted with rheumatism and shorter distance than they really had. believed in him: Isabella I of Castile gout, Christopher Columbus died and, grudgingly, her husband delirious and hallucinating in I See Voices of Mexico. No. 18, Jan-Mar, Ferdinand of Aragon. Valladolid on March 20, 1506. 1992, p. 77. Volees of Mexico /October • December, 1992 21 He was convinced the new lands between Europe and Far Eastern Asia. France, was attacked by pirates and were Japan and China (Cipango and Deliberate or not, the error was Columbus was miraculously spared by Cathay as Marco Polo called them). enormous.2 swimming almost 10 km to Portugal. Neither the discoveries made alter his, Such distortions led King John II Although he sailed from Portugal nor the knowledge that he was of Portugal to reject the plan in 1485, to Iceland and England and got to responsible for falsifying and Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile know Guinea in equatorial Africa, measurements of degrees and miles to do the same in 1490. Columbus did not receive the during the first voyage, shook him What finally convinced the command of a ship. He applied from that belief before he died. Spanish rulers of the trip's viability himself rather to the study of land and During his stay in Portugal and in was the support Columbus got from sea geography, geometry, physics and Porto Santo, Columbus analyzed the the Franciscans at La Rábida and from astronomy. His knowledge of classical Greek geographic studies in the expansionist euphoria inspired by heavenly bodies, tides, currents and depth and based his entire plan on the capitulation of Granada, the last latitudes fed his fantasies. Ptolemy. For the latter, Terra Firma Moslem stronghold in Spain, on His thirst to discover gold extended from Cape St. Vincent, the January 2, 1492. deposits that would make him westernmost point of the Iberian Moreover, Columbus was not the immensely wealthy, his obsession peninsula, to Cape Catignara, great sailor some of his panegyrists with spreading Catholicism to every designated the easternmost point of have described. Son of Domenico, comer he discovered, as well as his Asia, and covered 180 degrees of wool merchant and later tavern keeper, vehemence and knack of persuasion, latitude, that is, half of the globe. young Christopher had a chance to caught the eye of the rulers, courtiers r L1.ivA I i '1/4_, elencite c.. J. exuda._ h: 901 Un:, • 6E0CRAFIA Mex ( da ma E Ahu r 3 r. Damn it! Indians? What Indians? Young Columbur in school.. Columbus! Admit it, you're lost! Oh, darn! Ijust don't understand geography. But for Marino de Tiro, the sail coastwise when he was thirteen and merchants of emerging Spain, second-century Greek mathematician, or fourteen years old. He sailed enlisted their support for the voyage Terra Firma extended 225 degrees, 45 between Genoa and Savona, west as and, if successful, would earn him the more than those calculated by far as Nice and later Portovenere and title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and Ptolemy. On his own, Columbus south to Corsica. viceroy and governor of all the lands added another 28 degrees to Marino The Centurione, Spinola and he discovered. de Tiro's 225 degrees because of Di Negro families, merchants, ship His inexperience as a sailor indications culled from Marco Polo, owners and friends of his family, took brought him finto conflict with Martín as well as another 30 for the distance him as passenger on voyages to the Alonso Pinzón, who almost led a between Cathay and Cipango.
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