Christopher Columbus’s Letter to Raphael Sanxis on the Discovery of America (1493)
Explanation and Analysis of the Document
Christopher Columbus realized that he would need backing for future expeditions to the New World and thus was eager to report that his journey had been an unqualified success. Accordingly, in his letter he submitted a glowing account of the lands he had discovered and the people he had encountered, all with a view to impressing on his readers the many reasons why Spain should continue efforts to colonize the lands he had found.
Introduction
The text begins with an introduction, which notes the details of the voyage. As has been noted, however, the translator, Leander de Cosco, mistakenly used the name Raphael rather than Gabriel Sanxis. It is also noted that the translation was made on “the third of the kalends of May 4, 1493.” The term kalends is a variant of calends and refers to the first day of the ancient Roman month, from which days were counted backward. In this case, the date in this complicated calendar system would be April...
