The Letter of Columbus to Luis De Sant Angel Announcing His Discovery
(1493)
As I know you will be rejoiced at the glorious success that our Lord has given
me in my voyage, I write this to tell you how in thirty-three days I sailed to
the Indies with the fleet that the illustrious King and Queen, our Sovereigns,
gave me, where I discovered a great many islands, inhabited by numberless
people; and of all I have taken possession for their Highnesses by proclamation
and display of the Royal Standard without opposition. To the first island I
discovered I gave the name of San Salvador, in commemoration of His Divine
Majesty, who has wonderfully granted all this. The Indians call it Guanaham. The
second I named the Island of Santa Maria de Concepcion; the third, Fernandina;
the fourth, Isabella; the fifth, Juana; and thus to each one I gave a new name.
When I came to Juana, I followed the coast of that isle toward the west, and
found it so extensive that I thought it might be the mainland, the province of
Cathay; and as I found no towns nor villages on the sea-coast, except a few
small settlements, where it was impossible to speak to the people, because they
fled at once, I continued the said route, thinking I could not fail to see some
great cities or towns; and finding at the end of many leagues that nothing new
appeared, and that the coast led northward, contrary to my wish, because the
winter had already set in, I decided to make for the south, and as the wind also
was against my proceeding, I determined not to wait there longer, and turned
back to a certain harbor whence I sent two men to find out whether there was any
king or large city. They explored for three days, and found countless small
communities and people, without number, but with no kind of government, so they
returned.
I heard from other Indians I had already taken that this land was an island, and
thus followed the eastern coast for one hundred and seven leagues, until I came
to the end of it. From that point I saw another isle to the eastward, at
eighteen leagues' distance, to which I gave the name of Hispaniola. I went
thither and followed its northern coast to the east, as I had done in Juana, one
hundred and seventy-eight leagues eastward, as in Juana. This island, like all
the others, is most extensive. It has many ports along the sea-coast excelling
any in Christendom--and many fine, large, flowing rivers. The land there is
elevated, with many mountains and peaks incomparably higher than in the centre
isle. They are most beautiful, of a thousand varied forms, accessible, and full
of trees of endless varieties, so high that they seem to touch the sky, and I
have been told that they never lose their foliage. I saw them as green and
lovely as trees are in Spain in the month of May. Some of them were covered with
blossoms, some with fruit, and some in other conditions, according to their
kind. The nightingale and other small birds of a thousand kinds were singing in
the month of November when I was there. There were palm trees of six or eight
varieties, the graceful peculiarities of each one of them being worthy of
admiration as are the other trees, fruits and grasses. There are wonderful pine
woods, and very extensive ranges of meadow land. There is honey, and there are
many kinds of birds, and a great variety of fruits. Inland there are numerous
mines of metals and innumerable people. Hispaniola is a marvel. Its hills and
mountains, fine plains and open country, are rich and fertile for planting and
for pasturage, and for building towns and villages. The seaports there are
incredibly fine, as also the magnificent rivers, most of which bear gold. The
trees, fruits and grasses differ widely from those in Juana. There are many
spices and vast mines of gold and other metals in this island. They have no
iron, nor steel, nor weapons, nor are they fit for them, because although they
are well-made men of commanding stature, they appear extraordinarily timid. The
only arms they have are sticks of cane, cut when in seed, with a sharpened stick
at the end, and they are afraid to use these. Often I have sent two or three men
ashore to some town to converse with them, and the natives came out in great
numbers, and as soon as they saw our men arrive, fled without a moment's delay
although I protected them from all injury.
At every point where I landed, and succeeded in talking to them, I gave them
some of everything I had--cloth and many other things--without receiving
anything in return, but they are a hopelessly timid people. It is true that
since they have gained more confidence and are losing this fear, they are so
unsuspicious and so generous with what they possess, that no one who had not
seen it would believe it. They never refuse anything that is asked for. They
even offer it themselves, and show so much love that they would give their very
hearts. Whether it be anything of great or small value, with any trifle of
whatever kind, they are satisfied. I forbade worthless things being given to
them, such as bits of broken bowls, pieces of glass, and old straps, although
they were as much pleased to get them as if they were the finest jewels in the
world. One sailor was found to have got for a leathern strap, gold of the weight
of two and a half castellanos, and others for even more worthless things much
more; while for a new blancas they would give all they had, were it two or three
castellanos of pure gold or an arroba or two of spun cotton. Even bits of the
broken hoops of wine casks they accepted, and gave in return what they had, like
fools, and it seemed wrong to me. I forbade it, and gave a thousand good and
pretty things that I had to win their love, and to induce them to become
Christians, and to love and serve their Highnesses and the whole Castilian
nation, and help to get for us things they have in abundance, which are
necessary to us. They have no religion, nor idolatry, except that they all
believe power and goodness to be in heaven. They firmly believed that I, with my
ships and men, came from heaven, and with this idea I have been received
everywhere, since they lost fear of me. They are, however, far from being
ignorant. They are most ingenious men, and navigate these seas in a wonderful
way, and describe everything well, but they never before saw people wearing
clothes, nor vessels like ours. Directly I reached the Indies in the first isle
I discovered, I took by force some of the natives, that from them we might gain
some information of what there was in these parts; and so it was that we
immediately understood each other, either by words or signs. They are still with
me and still believe that I come from heaven. They were the first to declare
this wherever I went, and the others ran from house to house, and to the towns
around, crying out, "Come ! come! and see the man from heaven!" Then all, both
men and women, as soon as they were reassured about us, came, both small and
great, all bringing something to eat and to drink, which they presented with
marvellous kindness. In these isles there are a great many canoes, something
like rowing boats, of all sizes, and most of them are larger than an
eighteen-oared galley. They are not so broad, as they are made of a single
plank, but a galley could not keep up with them in rowing, because they go with
incredible speed, and with these they row about among all these islands, which
are innumerable, and carry on their commerce. I have seen some of these canoes
with seventy and eighty men in them, and each had an oar. In all the islands I
observed little difference in the appearance of the people, or in their habits
and language, except that they understand each other, which is remarkable.
Therefore I hope that their Highnesses will decide upon the conversion of these
people to our holy faith, to which they seem much inclined. I have already
stated how I sailed one hundred and seven leagues along the sea-coast of Juana,
in a straight line from west to east. I can therefore assert that this island is
larger than England and Scotland together, since beyond these one hundred and
seven leagues there remained at the west point two provinces where I did not go,
one of which they call Avan, the home of men with tails. These provinces are
computed to be fifty or sixty leagues in length, as far as can be gathered from
the Indians with me, who are acquainted with all these islands. This other,
Hispaniola, is larger in circumference than all Spain from Catalonia to
Fuentarabia in Biscay, since upon one of its four sides I sailed one hundred and
eighty-eight leagues from west to east. This is worth having, and must on no
account be given up. I have taken possession of all these islands, for their
Highnesses, and all may be more extensive than I know, or can say, and I hold
them for their Highnesses, who can command them as absolutely as the kingdoms of
Castile. In Hispaniola, in the most convenient place, most accessible for the
gold mines and all commerce with the mainland on this side or with that of the
great Khan, on the other, with which there would be great trade and profit, I
have taken possession of a large town, which I have named the City of Navidad. I
began fortifications there which should be completed by this time, and I have
left in it men enough to hold it, with arms, artillery, and provisions for more
than a year; and a boat with a master seaman skilled in the arts necessary to
make others; I am so friendly with the king of that country that he was proud to
call me his brother and hold me as such. Even should he change his mind and wish
to quarrel with my men, neither he nor his subjects know what arms are, nor wear
clothes, as I have said. They are the most timid people in the world, so that
only the men remaining there could destroy the whole region, and run no risk if
they know how to behave themselves properly. In all these islands the men seem
to be satisfied with one wife except they allow as many as twenty to their chief
or men. The women appear to me to work harder than the men, and so far as I can
hear they have nothing of their own, for I think I perceived that what one had
others shared, especially food. In the islands so far, I have found no monsters,
as some expected, but, on the contrary, they are people of very handsome
appearance. They are not black as in Guinea, though their hair is straight and
coarse, as it does not grow where the sun's rays are too ardent. And in truth
the sun has extreme power here, since it is within twenty-six degrees of the
equinoctial line. In these islands there are mountains where the cold this
winter was very severe, but the people endure it from habit, and with the aid of
the meat they eat with very hot spices.
As for monsters, I have found not trace of them except at the point in the
second isle as one enters the Indies, which is inhabited by a people considered
in all the isles as most ferocious, who eat human flesh. They possess many
canoes, with which they overrun all the isles of India, stealing and seizing all
they can. They are not worse looking than the others, except that they wear
their hair long like women, and use bows and arrows of the same cane, with a
sharp stick at the end for want of iron, of which they have none. They are
ferocious compared to these other races, who are extremely cowardly; but I only
hear this from the others. They are said to make treaties of marriage with the
women in the first isle to be met with coming from Spain to the Indies, where
there are no men. These women have no feminine occupation, but use bows and
arrows of cane like those before mentioned, and cover and arm themselves with
plates of copper, of which they have a great quantity. Another island, I am
told, is larger than Hispaniola, where the natives have no hair, and where there
is countless gold; and from them all I bring Indians to testify to this. To
speak, in conclusion, only of what has been done during this hurried voyage,
their Highnesses will see that I can give them as much gold as they desire, if
they will give me a little assistance, spices, cotton, as much as their
Highnesses may command to be shipped, and mastic as much as their Highnesses
choose to send for, which until now has only been found in Greece, in the isle
of Chios, and the Signoria can get its own price for it; as much lign-aloe as
they command to be shipped, and as many slaves as they choose to send for, all
heathens. I think I have found rhubarb and cinnamon. Many other things of value
will be discovered by the men I left behind me, as I stayed nowhere when the
wind allowed me to pursue my voyage, except in the City of Navidad, which I left
fortified and safe. Indeed, I might have accomplished much more, had the crews
served me as they ought to have done. The eternal and almighty God, our Lord, it
is Who gives to all who walk in His way, victory over things apparently
impossible, and in this case signally so, because although these lands had been
imagined and talked of before they were seen, most men listened incredulously to
what was thought to be but an idle tale. But our Redeemer has given victory to
our most illustrious King and Queen, and to their kingdoms rendered famous by
this glorious event, at which all Christendom should rejoice, celebrating it
with great festivities and solemn Thanksgivings to the Holy Trinity, with
fervent prayers for the high distinction that will accrue to them from turning
so many peoples to our holy faith; and also from the temporal benefits that not
only Spain but all Christian nations will obtain. Thus I record what has
happened in a brief note written on board the Caravel, off the Canary
Isles, on the 15th of February, 1493.
Yours to command,
THE ADMIRAL
Postscript within the letter
Since writing the above, being in the Sea of Castile, so much wind arose south
southeast, that I was forced to lighten the vessels, to run into this port of
Lisbon to-day which was the most extraordinary thing in the world, from whence I
resolved to write to their Highnesses. In all the Indies I always found the
temperature like that of May. Where I went in thirty-three days I returned in
twenty-eight, except that these gales have detained me fourteen days, knocking
about in this sea, Here all seamen say that there has never been so rough a
winter, nor so many vessels lost. Done the 14th day of March.
This letter Columbus sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, from the Islands
discovered in the Indies, enclosed in another to their Highnesses.