First Contanct
COLOMBUS’S LETTER ON HIS FIRST VOYAGE
*Summary*
* 33 days he crossed from the Canary Islands to the Indies. * The first Island that he found, he named “San Salvador”; although the Indians called it “Guanahani”. * The second Island, he named “Santa María de Concepción”. * The third “Fernandina”. * The fourth “Isabela”. * The fifth “Juana”. And, definitely, all of them he renamed.
Cuba: there were only small groups of houses whose inhabitants fled as soon as Columbus and his men approached. They continued to search any great towns or cities northwards.
He sent two men inland to discover whether there was a king or any great cities. They travelled for 3 days, finding only a large number of small villages and great numbers of people, but nothing more substantial.
He understood from some Indians who had captures elsewhere that this was an island, and he wanted to find it.
From there, he found another Island, which he called Hispaniola.
He remarks that all these islands are extremely fertile. The land is high and has many ranges of hills, and mountains incomparably finer than Tenerife. He saw them as green and lovely as they are in Spain in May. Hispaniola thus is a wonder, according to Columbus.
He says that “The harbours are incredibly fine and there are many great rivers with broad channels and the majority contain gold”, but it is not prove that it is real as wee as the following statement that states that “In Hispaniola there are many spices and large mines of gold and other metals.
The inhabitants of this island and all the rest that I discovered go naked, men and women indistinctly. Although some women (a few of them) cover themselves a single place with a leaf of a plant or piece of cotton which they weave for the purpose.
Firstly, they have come out when we appeared but later when he gave them some of the various things I had, and received nothing in exchange, they lost their fear and offer them a share to anyone with
*Summary*
* 33 days he crossed from the Canary Islands to the Indies. * The first Island that he found, he named “San Salvador”; although the Indians called it “Guanahani”. * The second Island, he named “Santa María de Concepción”. * The third “Fernandina”. * The fourth “Isabela”. * The fifth “Juana”. And, definitely, all of them he renamed.
Cuba: there were only small groups of houses whose inhabitants fled as soon as Columbus and his men approached. They continued to search any great towns or cities northwards.
He sent two men inland to discover whether there was a king or any great cities. They travelled for 3 days, finding only a large number of small villages and great numbers of people, but nothing more substantial.
He understood from some Indians who had captures elsewhere that this was an island, and he wanted to find it.
From there, he found another Island, which he called Hispaniola.
He remarks that all these islands are extremely fertile. The land is high and has many ranges of hills, and mountains incomparably finer than Tenerife. He saw them as green and lovely as they are in Spain in May. Hispaniola thus is a wonder, according to Columbus.
He says that “The harbours are incredibly fine and there are many great rivers with broad channels and the majority contain gold”, but it is not prove that it is real as wee as the following statement that states that “In Hispaniola there are many spices and large mines of gold and other metals.
The inhabitants of this island and all the rest that I discovered go naked, men and women indistinctly. Although some women (a few of them) cover themselves a single place with a leaf of a plant or piece of cotton which they weave for the purpose.
Firstly, they have come out when we appeared but later when he gave them some of the various things I had, and received nothing in exchange, they lost their fear and offer them a share to anyone with