Italian American Digest 7Italian American Digest FALL 2018 | Page 19

FALL 2018
I talian A merican D igest
PAGE 19
Why ‘America’ and Not ‘Columbia’?
rounded up a number of them and
insisted they show him the source of
their gold. On October 22 he visited
the northeast coast of Cuba (which
in a letter written as late as 1502 to
Pope Alexander VI he declared was
the east coast of Asia), and on No-
vember 22 one of his captains took
the Pinta to search for gold while he
continued to the coast of an island
he called Hispaniola (known today
as Santo Domingo and Haiti). It
was there that the Santa Maria ran
large landholdings and the soldiers
would serve as their protectors. This
(Editor’s note: After decades of
time Columbus sailed through the
captivating our readers with a deep-
lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands
er look at Italy’s rich and colorful
(named for the Blessed Mother), the
history, Maria Falco has decided to
greater Antilles, and landed in Puerto
retire from writing this feature. We
Rico, whose capital was later named
at the Digest would like to thank Dr.
San Juan. When he arrived at Haiti,
Falco for her scores of insightful,
he found that the fort established by
wonderfully witty, and impeccably
those previously left behind had been
researched articles over the years.
destroyed, with eleven bodies left at
We wish her the very best.)
the site. He established a new colony
in what is today called the Domini-
Did you ever wonder why the
can Republic. That colony was
New World was named
also short-lived.
after Amerigo Vespucci
On his third voyage in May
and not Christopher Co-
of 1498, Columbus sailed with
lumbus? After all, wasn’t
six ships, three of which went
it Columbus who discov-
to Hispaniola with badly needed
ered “America” and not
supplies. The other three Colum-
Vespucci?
bus took to explore the southern
Columbus, a staunch
Caribbean in the hope of finding
Genoese Catholic and
a clear passage to Asia. On July
member of the Third Or-
23 he arrived at what he called
der of St. Francis, wanted
Trinidad (Trinity) and then the
to reach Cathay (China)
coast of what was later named
by sailing west instead
Venezuela (after Venice, because
of east, first, because he
of its large port) near the mouth
knew the earth was round
of the Orinoco River. Seeing the
and believed that a trip
amount of fresh water flowing
by sea would be quicker
from the river, he correctly
than the overland “Silk
concluded that he had reached a
Road” pursued by Marco A map of the world published by Martin Waldseemuller in 1507
large landmass and speculated
Polo in the 13th centu-
that this might be the Garden of
ry. Unfortunately, his
aground
on
Christmas
Day
and
had
Eden!
In April 1492, Ferdinand and Isa-
calculation of the circumference of
to be abandoned.
When he returned to Hispaniola in
bella promised Columbus that if he
the Earth was far, far smaller than
Columbus left 39 men in Haiti and August, he discovered that many of
succeeded in his task of shortening
we know it to be today. Second, he
continued
along the Caribbean until
the colonists he had left there were in
deeply wanted to fulfill Marco Polo’s the journey to the Far East he would
January of 1493, when he finally
rebellion, accusing him of deceiving
be declared “Admiral of the Ocean
promise to the Great Kahn to bring
decided
to
head
back
to
Spain
on
the
them about the riches they would
Sea” and appointed viceroy/governor
the knowledge of Christianity to the
Niña. A storm along the way separat- find, and of being an incompetent
of whatever lands he might claim
Chinese people, thereby preventing
ed him from the Pinta, so he stopped governor. He was forced to make
for Spain. He would also receive
the further expansion of the Muslim
at the Azores to recuperate, then
peace with them on rather humiliat-
10 percent of all revenues derived
faith to the Far East.
sailed again to reach Spain.
ing terms, and in 1500 was placed in
from those lands in perpetuity. In
Nevertheless, after trying several
Another
storm
forced
him
to
stop
chains, forced to return to Spain, and
August of that year, Columbus was
times unsuccessfully to get Portugal
removed as governor. Eventually he
to finance his proposal once the Por- given charge of three ships: the large in Lisbon, where he was threatened
by assassins. He escaped and finally
was freed and allowed to return to
Santa Maria and two smaller ones,
tuguese explorer Bartolomeo Dias
got
back
to
Spain
on
March
15.
Word
those “new lands,” but not as gover-
had rounded the Cape of Good Hope the Niña and the Pinta. He set sail
of his discovery of “new lands”
nor.
for the Canary Islands off the coast
in South Africa in 1488, Columbus
quickly
spread
throughout
Europe,
In May of 1502, he sailed on his
hoped that the newly united kingdom of Morocco (one of Spain’s posses-
fourth voyage to find the Straits
sions) to stock up on as many provi- but Columbus still thought he had
of Spain under Ferdinand of Aragon
discovered them off the coast of
of Malacca to the Indian Ocean.
sions as possible, and on September
and Isabella of Castile (following
Asia.
Nevertheless.
his
reputation
as
This time he was accompanied by
6 he departed on a five-week voyage
their defeat of the Muslims in Gre-
a Genoese navigator became unri-
his brother Bartolomeo and his
across the ocean.
nada) might welcome his quest to
valed
in
the
European
world.
13-year-old son Ferdinand. When he
On October 6, land was sighted
arrive in Cathay and initiate a trade
On September 21, 1493, Colum-
arrived at Santo Domingo, he was
off the coast of what is today known
project that might bring back to
bus left Spain once again to establish not permitted to land by the current
as the Bahamas, and Columbus
Spain much-needed gold and other
permanent “colonies” in the “new
governor, who also refused to believe
named the island “San Salvador”
valuable assets—and in the process
lands” with 17 ships and twelve hun- him when he predicted a powerful
fulfill Marco Polo’s promise to bring (Holy Savior). Some of the friendly
dred men, including priests, farmers
storm was on the way. Then, while
natives who greeted them were seen
Christianity to Cathay.
he took shelter in the mouth of a
Because of the staggering costs of to be wearing gold earrings and other and soldiers. The priests, of course,
would bring Christianity to the native nearby river, the first Spanish ship on
decorations but had no weapons of
their war against the Muslims, the
Monarchs of the newly united Spain metal such as swords or pikes. So he peoples (and hopefully to Cathay),
Columbus cont. on page 23
while the farmers would establish
lacked the funds to support Colum-
by Maria J. Falco, PhD
bus’ proposal themselves, but they
were able to procure funding from
a number of Crusading societies
throughout the Mediterranean who
supported the spread of Christianity
beyond the borders of Europe. In
a letter to Pope Alexander VI, Co-
lumbus stated that the purpose of
his mission was to spend any profits
“for the redemption of the (Holy)
Sepulcher (of Christ) and the Temple
Mount (of Jerusalem) to the Holy
Church.”