posted August 07, 2006 06:37 PM              

Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Monday August 7, 2006

Guardian

Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas, was a greedy and vindictive tyrant who saved some of his most violent punishments for his own followers, according to a document uncovered by Spanish historians.
As governor and viceroy of the Indies, Columbus imposed iron discipline on the first Spanish colony in the Americas, in what is now the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic. Punishments included cutting off people's ears and noses, parading women naked through the streets and selling them into slavery.

"Columbus' government was characterised by a form of tyranny," Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian who has seen the document, told journalists.

One man caught stealing corn had his nose and ears cut off, was placed in shackles and was then auctioned off as a slave. A woman who dared to suggest that Columbus was of lowly birth was punished by his brother Bartolomé, who had also travelled to the Caribbean. She was stripped naked and paraded around the colony on the back of a mule.

"Bartolomé ordered that her tongue be cut out," said Ms Varela. "Christopher congratulated him for defending the family."

The evidence has been found in a previously lost report drawn up at the time for the Spanish monarchs as they became worried by growing rumours of Columbus' barbarity and avarice. The document was written by a member of an order of religious knights, the Order of Calatrava, who had been asked to investigate the allegations against Columbus by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, who ruled Spain together at the time.

The report, by Francisco de Bobadilla, lay undiscovered in a state archive in the Spanish city of Valladolid until last year. Bobadilla had already been named governor of the Indies, replacing Columbus, at the time of the report.

The 48-page document gathers evidence from Columbus' enemies and supporters of his seven-year reign. Ms Varela, one of the two Spanish historians to have studied the document, described life in the colony as "horrifying and hard".

Bobadilla collected the testimonies of 23 people who had seen or heard about the treatment meted out by Columbus and his brothers. "Even those who loved him had to admit the atrocities that had taken place," Ms Varela said.

Columbus and his brothers were forced to travel back to Spain. Columbus was in chains but, although he never recovered his titles, he was set free and allowed to sail back to the Caribbean.

"Columbus and his brothers come across in the text as tyrants," Ms Varela said. "Now one can understand why he was sacked and we can see that there were good reasons for doing so.

"The monarchs wanted someone who did not give them problems. Columbus did not solve problems, he created them."

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

posted August 07, 2006 07:19 PM              

Here in the United States "Columbus Day" is celebrated in October.....

There is no postal service on that day, and the banks are closed....a lot of people get the day off from work....*sigh*

Native Americans (most of us, anyway), DO NOT CELEBRATE the day, and a lot of the first people here, even want to rename it....or get rid of it altogether!

We cannot in good conscience participate in the.....

......celebrations that continue to honor the man who brought war, colonialism and genocide to the home of Native Americans....

Well now with the information you've offered....I think more than ever, we should not have a Columbus Day "celebration" here in America! *sigh*

He was rotton, wasn't he?

posted August 07, 2006 07:47 PM              

I dont believe individual people can get away with as much brutality today as they could in the past. (Actually on second thought, brutality is still very rampant in this world...maybe not where we live). We can thank globalisation, improved communication, internet and the media for that. New set of problems have been created though.

Christopher Columbus and Mohammed (pbuh) are in completely different categories. Mohammed was not a barbaric colonizer, that helped with genocides. The only battles he participated in were against those out to destroy him and the ummah/followers. The well documented accounts of Mohammad's actions (by people during his time) describe his behaviour and practices, in great detail, as that of a generous, fair and a spiritual man. It's unfortunate that there are history books created and used by educators, to this day, that cover up the true historical facts and actually lie.

Rainbow,

I can't believe "Columbus Day" is even on the calender?!?! I hope schools don't celebrate it either.

For the same reasons of course:

quote:

---

We cannot in good conscience participate in the.....

......celebrations that continue to honor the man who brought war, colonialism and genocide to the home of Native Americans....

---

posted August 07, 2006 08:40 PM              

No one can even trace the DNA anymore.

He was another Hitler.

posted August 07, 2006 11:00 PM              

As for Mohammed, yes I suppose that's a good point, it was in defense that he killed not the offense....he freed his ppl....just like the terrorists are merely defending themselves and the destruction of the World Trade Center (if it wasn't caused by evil extraterrestrials or reptiles) was also an act of self defense.