Dr. Ramirez
Cohen. Four Voyages of Christopher
Columbus
Information gathering for Columbus's
Second Voyage (1493-1494):
-
Navidad-signals that relations have
soured between the Spanish and the natives
-
Women a prized possession
-
Natives deceive the Spanish, but the
Spanish don't give them credit for having a strategy
-
Christianity is used as an excuse for
greed or lust
-
Show of mercy
-
Accounts are self-contradictory
-
Natives value copper more than gold;
gold not accessible
-
Climate
-
Fertility
-
Animals: dogs
-
Birds, lizards, rodents, alligators,
reptiles
-
Crops
-
Clothing--designates rank/status
-
Jewelry/arm bands/leg bands
-
Observations about textiles (cotton),
construction of huts, provisions and use of land.
-
Stones buried in ground (made of jasper)
-
Notions of property: Natives shared
with one another; Spanish claimed things for themselves.
Imperial Personnel:
Admiral
Don Diego Colon, Columbus's younger
brother
Dr. Chanca--the royal physician--considered
to be a reliable witness.
Accountants
Captains
Sailors
Soldiers
Cooks, carpenters, tradesmen (tailors,
etc.)
Equipment:
17 ships, 12-15,000 men
Guns, cannons, tools, items for
trade (baubles, cloth, leather, bells, etc.)
Horses
Geography:
Hispaniola (present day Dominican
Republic and Haiti)
Also includes Cibao.
Borinquen =Puerto Rico (variations
in spelling)
Natives:
Guacamari--a chieftain
Caciques--warriors of rank; also
prince
Caribs (fierce)
Tainos (more peaceful, but
also cannibals when necessary)
Colonized:
7 natives brought to Spain; 5 died;
2 remained as interpreters