Analysis Of Christopher Columbus's Letter To Luis De Santangel

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In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world. Columbus’ letter to Santangel, dated February 15, 1493, has a very positive and upbeat tone. From the very beginning he proclaims the five islands have been claimed for Spain with a “proclamation made and the royal standard …show more content…

He describes the harbors on the islands as “beyond comparison” and the mountains are “beyond comparison with the island of Tenerife,” one of the largest of the Canary Islands (36). By comparing the islands with other locations known for their resources and beauty, Columbus is able to paint a picture of lands that are even more magnificent and worth colonizing. The picture Columbus is painting is of five islands with unlimited resources, vantage points, a harbor that can be a grand trading hub while all being surrounded by the beauty of God’s nature. His description makes it very difficult to pass up such an

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