Oct 12, 1492 – Do you know what happened on that day?
Well of course the discovery of America!
As the Silk Road to India, parts of East Asia, including China was closed to Christian traders after the fall of the Mongol empire a new trade route was sought by the European traders and explorers.
On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic with three ships (Santa Maria, Niña and Pinta), embarking on a journey that would change the course of history. Although it has been known for a long time that the Earth was a sphere, Columbus’ venturing into the unknown, driven by the desire to reach Asia to re-establish the very profitable spice trade via a new trade route, was still a remarkably brave act. His successful landing in the Bahamas in the Caribbean on Oct 12, 1492 marked the beginning of European exploration, colonization and exploitation of the Americas.
In case you are wondering why America is not called, for instance, “Columbus Land” here is the explanation: Columbus refused to acknowledge that the lands he visited and claimed for Spain were not part of Asia, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. This explains, in part, why the American continent was named after the Florentine (a person from Florence aka. Firenze, Italy) explorer Amerigo Vespucci—who received credit for recognizing it as a “New World“—and not after Columbus. Amerigo → America.
Upon reaching the islands, Columbus encountered indigenous peoples, whom he named Indians. His arrival marked the beginning of a tumultuous era. Utilizing his authority given to him by the Spanish queen and king and the support of Spain, he sought to impose Catholicism on the indigenous peoples, naturally with force. Those who resisted faced brutal repercussions, including death and enslavement. Such acts, shrouded in the guise of religious obligation, reveal a brutal zealotry that defined this era of exploration. The Catholic Church, eager to expand its influence, played a significant role in this conquest. Pope Alexander VI, on May 4, 1493, issued a papal bull, the Inter Caetera, granting official ownership of the New World to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The Pope’s declaration ultimately had dire consequences for native inhabitants of the Americas. Beginning in 1514 Spanish conquerors adopted “the Requirement,” an ultimatum in which Indians were forced to accept “the Church as the Ruler and Superior of the whole world” or face persecution.
One must, however, question the Church’s right to claim ownership of faraway lands inhabited by indigenous peoples. The Catholic Church, notorious for its violent methods of conversion, tended to overlook the principles of peace and understanding in its quest for dominance. One can’t help but roll one’s eyes at the irony of a Church preaching love and peace while wielding swords and crosses. It’s comforting to know that wherever you go, a little faith can justify a lot of violence!
Columbus’s discovery of America marked the beginning of a new era, one marred by conquest, forced conversion, and controversy. It also started the wholesale plunder of whatever resources the new-found land had to offer, first by the Spanish and Portuguese and then later on, of course, by the British as they are never far behind when it comes to stealing from other countries, nations or people.
You can just ask the First Nations in the US and Canada about their experience with them. Oops, you actually can’t because they were mostly exterminated by those Western European settlers.
The legacy of this voyage continues to shape our understanding of history, serving as a stark reminder of the complexities, contradictions and mostly naked greed inherent in human nature. Alex