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Christopher Columbus and the Conquest of Paradise
Christopher Columbus' arrival on a small Bahamian island in 1492 is often judged to be a defining moment in the history of mankind, changing forever the map of the world. Kirkpatrick Sale offers readers a unique take on Columbus and his legacy, separating the man from the legend. Sale also looks at the global consequences of the discovery, revealing the colossal impact this brief moment in history had not only on a continent but also on the world. Now with a new introduction by Sale, this classic book is being re-issued for the 500th aniversary of Columbus' death in the heart of Castille.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 9, 2009
I am reading Kirkpatrick Sales' 'Christopher Columbus and the Conquest of Paradise' at the moment. This could be called a 'revisionist' interpretation of the the famous 1492 voyage of discovery of the Caribbean (and subsequently of the Americas) by Columbus. Its revisionist because the author writes about the ecological destruction of the the Caribbean islands, the effect it had on the native Tainos, who were initially praised by Columbus as of being a peaceful race and who later became chastised and murdered in their thousands, and the fundamental effect of an New World being ravaged and destroyed by an Old World, all dating from the last decade of the fifteenth century. Essentially, Modern America is the product of Late Medieval European Civilisation and, more importantly, of a deformed and twisted religion which transplanted a belief of nature being all good and respected into something that should be feared and treated only for the benefit of humankind; a mechanistic, materialist self-serving outlook rather than a natural one. Nature should serve humankind and be treated indiscriminately and as Marx said "Man opposes himself to nature....in order to appropriate nature’s products".
This resulted in the ecological misuse, which even Columbus noted on his third voyage so soon after the initial discovery (1498/9), of the native habitat of Cuba whereby the forests were cut down and the land laid to waste from the attempted transplanting of European plants and animals and the building of forts and towns (to protect themselves from the, umm, 'peaceful' natives). The effect from this and not only this but also the introduction of European disease would be catastrophic to the indigenous natives and their eco-system, which saw the eventual extinction of both the Tainos and much indigenous habitat and animals, of which none of it was recorded by Columbus or his protégées. What is worse is that this was no innocent voyage of 'discovery' or an adventuring voyage to discover new lands just for the 'purpose' of discovery, but rather a voyage based around the discovery of new lands for the purpose of exploitation and increase in material wealth; an early case of classic colonialism with the sole intent of the pursuit of the magic word of 'Gold'. "Gold is most excellent", wrote Columbus "and whoever has it may do as he wishes in the world". This, and this only argues Sale, was the overriding factor of this period of discovery. The discovery of gold (which took till 1499 to find a good source) would later make Spain a strong power in Europe (but would later stunt its capitalist development).
I remember in 1992 that there were a lot of activities surrounding the celebrations of the 500th year since the discovery of the 'New World'. This also was a time in my life that I was beginning to become interested in politics so I do remember it well. All the celebrations though were primarily geared towards a celebration of Columbus, rather than any critique of his legacy, or at least any alternative visions of the, in all effect, rape and despoliation of 'paradise' and the eventual transplantation of European culture which lead to slavery and severe exploitation of man and nature. It’s an interesting read, and extremely well written and researched.
This resulted in the ecological misuse, which even Columbus noted on his third voyage so soon after the initial discovery (1498/9), of the native habitat of Cuba whereby the forests were cut down and the land laid to waste from the attempted transplanting of European plants and animals and the building of forts and towns (to protect themselves from the, umm, 'peaceful' natives). The effect from this and not only this but also the introduction of European disease would be catastrophic to the indigenous natives and their eco-system, which saw the eventual extinction of both the Tainos and much indigenous habitat and animals, of which none of it was recorded by Columbus or his protégées. What is worse is that this was no innocent voyage of 'discovery' or an adventuring voyage to discover new lands just for the 'purpose' of discovery, but rather a voyage based around the discovery of new lands for the purpose of exploitation and increase in material wealth; an early case of classic colonialism with the sole intent of the pursuit of the magic word of 'Gold'. "Gold is most excellent", wrote Columbus "and whoever has it may do as he wishes in the world". This, and this only argues Sale, was the overriding factor of this period of discovery. The discovery of gold (which took till 1499 to find a good source) would later make Spain a strong power in Europe (but would later stunt its capitalist development).
I remember in 1992 that there were a lot of activities surrounding the celebrations of the 500th year since the discovery of the 'New World'. This also was a time in my life that I was beginning to become interested in politics so I do remember it well. All the celebrations though were primarily geared towards a celebration of Columbus, rather than any critique of his legacy, or at least any alternative visions of the, in all effect, rape and despoliation of 'paradise' and the eventual transplantation of European culture which lead to slavery and severe exploitation of man and nature. It’s an interesting read, and extremely well written and researched.
June 6, 2019
Really hard to rate this one. It is fairly well-written and seems well-researched based on the notes (although not literally footnoted with numbers) and there is much interesting information. But I am not sure this guy should be called a 'historian'. Without looking up a thing about him, he seems to be a man on a mission. Hence the word Legacy in the title? This is more of a polemic against everything (and nearly everyone) European. In his view, repeatedly stated, the European civilization and people alone on earth were capable of and in fact compelled by a posioned ideology to commit the destruction of the New World along with genocide. This is pretty strong stuff but it suffuses the work. Page 91 gives an example of his view--"a civilization still dispirited and adrift, turmoiled and beset, sickened by gloom and suffering", etc. A civilization of death (nearly an entire chapter devoted to the Europeans propensity for dying and hence killing, he surmises). It goes on and on in this vein. Had the Persians, Carthiginians, Arabs, Mongols or Ottomans (to name several non-European empires) just a few more boats and a little more intrepidity they would surely have halted their invasionish ways at the first site of the beautiful natives and paradise of the New World!. Surely THEY would have left the Tainos alone upon seeing how reverential they were to the land. The Europeans lived in a tough neighborhood, nowhere is this mentioned. Spain spent 700 years of fighting to reclaim their land from the Muslim invasions. Does not even rate a mention in the index. The Mongols swept to their eastern border and crushed Russia and the Muslim empires. This is too inconvienient to mention. You will recoil of course upon reading of what did happen to the New World (mainly death by disease which neither the Europeans or anyone had literally a clue in the medicinal sense), anyone with today's knowledge and sensibilities would. The wanton slaughter is nauseating and ecological damage dismaying. But the author wants to judge and condemn an entire continent and people by standards of today that simply did not exist. Slavery was rampant around the 'civilized' world and before, and certainly existed in the Muslim realms where slaves were routinely taken in conquest and slaughter, rape and destruction of enemies par for the course. This book has to be read to absorb the totality of this man's condemnation of Europe, Columbus is just a vessel of that hatred. Written in the early 1990s, I imagine it has become (or already is) the 'playbook' for the dismantling of the legend and renaming of everything Columbus. And sadly probably embraced in leftist history departments in every major University. When discussing the apparently perfect Indian culture of the entire New World, almost totally pacific, eco-friendly, and so happy he fairly gushes with enthusiasm and calls any historian who dares question that view 'mean-spirited'. I have read quite a bit on the Indians and there is much to admire and to disdain. The torture methods for captives among many tribes were second to none (read 'Comanches' by T.R Feherenbach). He writes this after writing one of the most mean-spirited accounts 'history' that I have read. He actually provides a very interesting summary on the legacy of Columbus as it developed over the ensuing centuries: first ignored and then barely known, grudgingly acknowledged, finally celebrated (only by about 400-yr mark, 1892) and thence on to today's rather mixed reception. But the kicker comes in the Epilogue on p. 369 of my edition when he states that 'there is only one way to live in America, and there can ONLY (my emphasis) be one way, and that is as Americans--the original Americans--for that is what the earth of America demands'. I wonder what this writer has renounced to actually go back and live as the 'original' Americans. I'll have to look it up.
September 25, 2018
Heritage Studies Book 3
In my thirst for knowledge of self, to study my heritage and to learn more about who I am, where my family comes from, and to why my skin is brown, I have made a commitment to read about the history and events surrounding the voyages of Columbus and the Spanish Empire’s quest to rule the Americas.
The Conquest of Paradise: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy is the third book on my list that paints a dark portrait on the events that took place in the Antilles. Kirkpatrick Sale does a fantastic job at explaining in detail what happened in the Caribbean when Christopher Columbus sailed on his Four Voyages.
A lot of what is taught in elementary and high schools about this event is scant, inadequate and full of falsehoods. Even today, there is still misinformation about Columbus and the events surrounding the voyages. Many people still believe he landed in North America, for example, which he did not. Sale also tries to debunk many of the other misconceptions that are still alive today in Columbus history.
Sale did extensive studies on this subject, and it shows. I learned so much about Columbus, not only as a navigator but as a person. These details come from the journal he kept while on the high seas and also from the second-hand accounts from his son Ferdinand Columbus and a friar named Bartolomeo De Las Casas, whose written accounts have survived. Other sources come from other conquistadors that traveled on the Voyages and wrote their own accounts about what they experienced. Sale is quick, however, to warn the reader that because of the possibility that the accounts are exaggerated and full of aggrandizement, we must be careful to take these descriptions and reports with some criticism and skepticism.
In between chapters Sale also injects knowledge about the history Spain and the rest of Europe’s mind state at about the time the Trans-Atlantic crossings took place. This serves as a background to the European state-of-mind that Columbus had, and gives us a glimpse into the decisions he made. Slavery was normal in Portugal at the time. Violence also surrounded him; the gallows were a common sight in European town squares, as were guillotines. No doubt a young Christopher witnessed these common spectacles. This may shed some light onto why Colon was pro-slavery and didn’t seem to really bat an eye at the violence perpetrated onto the native Taino and Carib Indians.
Sale also teaches us a bit about the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, one of the first “successful” colonies of England (I put “successful” in quotation because really, the colony was marred with bouts of starvation, mutiny and the colonists barely survived). He makes comparisons between Jamestown and La Isabela, the first “successful” colony for the Spanish on Hispaniola. We see how the Columbian Legacy had slowly reached the rest of the European continent many years after Columbus’ discoveries. The English, Dutch and French couldn’t wait to join in and plunder those “mountains” of gold and riches that the Caribbean islands had to offer.
After finishing the book, I was left with a hunger for more information (as a good book should do!). It certainly shed a bright light on the darkness that was my understanding and comprehension of the great voyages, and of Columbus himself. I had no idea he sailed the coast of South America for example, or the fact that he sailed the coast of Central America, off the coast of present day Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama.
I still have many books to read about Columbus himself. His Journal has been translated into English, as well as his letters to the Spanish Crown. He also wrote Libro de las Profecias and the Santangel Letters, as well as A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies written by Bartolome de las Casas, which speaks about the atrocities committed by the Spanish and written to the Spanish Crown in his attempt to abolish the "encomienda", or slave system.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Christopher Columbus and the infamous voyages that took place, forever changing the face of the world.
In my thirst for knowledge of self, to study my heritage and to learn more about who I am, where my family comes from, and to why my skin is brown, I have made a commitment to read about the history and events surrounding the voyages of Columbus and the Spanish Empire’s quest to rule the Americas.
The Conquest of Paradise: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy is the third book on my list that paints a dark portrait on the events that took place in the Antilles. Kirkpatrick Sale does a fantastic job at explaining in detail what happened in the Caribbean when Christopher Columbus sailed on his Four Voyages.
A lot of what is taught in elementary and high schools about this event is scant, inadequate and full of falsehoods. Even today, there is still misinformation about Columbus and the events surrounding the voyages. Many people still believe he landed in North America, for example, which he did not. Sale also tries to debunk many of the other misconceptions that are still alive today in Columbus history.
Sale did extensive studies on this subject, and it shows. I learned so much about Columbus, not only as a navigator but as a person. These details come from the journal he kept while on the high seas and also from the second-hand accounts from his son Ferdinand Columbus and a friar named Bartolomeo De Las Casas, whose written accounts have survived. Other sources come from other conquistadors that traveled on the Voyages and wrote their own accounts about what they experienced. Sale is quick, however, to warn the reader that because of the possibility that the accounts are exaggerated and full of aggrandizement, we must be careful to take these descriptions and reports with some criticism and skepticism.
In between chapters Sale also injects knowledge about the history Spain and the rest of Europe’s mind state at about the time the Trans-Atlantic crossings took place. This serves as a background to the European state-of-mind that Columbus had, and gives us a glimpse into the decisions he made. Slavery was normal in Portugal at the time. Violence also surrounded him; the gallows were a common sight in European town squares, as were guillotines. No doubt a young Christopher witnessed these common spectacles. This may shed some light onto why Colon was pro-slavery and didn’t seem to really bat an eye at the violence perpetrated onto the native Taino and Carib Indians.
Sale also teaches us a bit about the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, one of the first “successful” colonies of England (I put “successful” in quotation because really, the colony was marred with bouts of starvation, mutiny and the colonists barely survived). He makes comparisons between Jamestown and La Isabela, the first “successful” colony for the Spanish on Hispaniola. We see how the Columbian Legacy had slowly reached the rest of the European continent many years after Columbus’ discoveries. The English, Dutch and French couldn’t wait to join in and plunder those “mountains” of gold and riches that the Caribbean islands had to offer.
After finishing the book, I was left with a hunger for more information (as a good book should do!). It certainly shed a bright light on the darkness that was my understanding and comprehension of the great voyages, and of Columbus himself. I had no idea he sailed the coast of South America for example, or the fact that he sailed the coast of Central America, off the coast of present day Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama.
I still have many books to read about Columbus himself. His Journal has been translated into English, as well as his letters to the Spanish Crown. He also wrote Libro de las Profecias and the Santangel Letters, as well as A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies written by Bartolome de las Casas, which speaks about the atrocities committed by the Spanish and written to the Spanish Crown in his attempt to abolish the "encomienda", or slave system.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Christopher Columbus and the infamous voyages that took place, forever changing the face of the world.
September 4, 2010
A spittingly liberal history of Columbus' voyages and their lasting after-effects, replete with galling period documentation that reveals that Columbus was very much a man of his era.
Would be a five-star review (as it was truly eye-opening when I read it twenty years ago) but for the vitriol that sometimes colors Sale's account. He is indignant about the depredations of Columbus and everyone after, and it can sometimes be hard to see past his fury.
A great but sometimes insufferable book.
Would be a five-star review (as it was truly eye-opening when I read it twenty years ago) but for the vitriol that sometimes colors Sale's account. He is indignant about the depredations of Columbus and everyone after, and it can sometimes be hard to see past his fury.
A great but sometimes insufferable book.
June 28, 2009
A good background book of how the Europeans came to dominate the Americas.
Read
July 26, 2011Succeeds in breaking the Columbus myth through a detailed sometimes dense account of his life and accomplishments. The book could easily be two books one on Columbus and the other on his legacy especially in the US. His attempt to assert an almost black-white difference between Europeans as unique exploiters and the natives as guardians of nature is too stark and simplistic. In many cases, the Europeans are too incompetent to fulfill his description and given the history of other Empires ( fertile crescent, Maya, etc) the Europeans are not the only ones who exploited nature until it was empty. Although he claims not to, his portrait of the natives wanders into "noble savage" territory and risks being condescending. Despite these irritants, well worth the read.
February 16, 2015
I enjoyed the depth of this book. I had previously not read anything about Colon and this was a great introduction.
I also enjoyed the context the Author provided on the culture of Europe at the time.
I felt that this book was well researched, the author provided numerous resource information and footnotes.
It does tend to have an environmentalist edge to it (something that I agree with) so if that is something that might be offensive to just know what you are getting into. However I would suggest that you read it as the author makes a phenomenal argument.
Scotty Cameron
I also enjoyed the context the Author provided on the culture of Europe at the time.
I felt that this book was well researched, the author provided numerous resource information and footnotes.
It does tend to have an environmentalist edge to it (something that I agree with) so if that is something that might be offensive to just know what you are getting into. However I would suggest that you read it as the author makes a phenomenal argument.
Scotty Cameron
June 12, 2015
It really makes you wonder about the what we were taught in school, it was a very thought provoking book
August 23, 2010
The book mixes in historical documents, historical facts and historical interpretations of the events surrounding the conquest of the New World.
The book moves from the Spanish conquest of the New World to how those events influenced and shaped England's transformation of the world.
I finally finished this book and can only recommend it to those who want a serious look at the aftermath of the "encounter" of 1492.
The book moves from the Spanish conquest of the New World to how those events influenced and shaped England's transformation of the world.
I finally finished this book and can only recommend it to those who want a serious look at the aftermath of the "encounter" of 1492.
March 31, 2010
Really quite good. It's a bit of a mess, but a passionate and well-written one.
January 4, 2018
It's the best
August 2, 2020
An unsentimental look at the life of the person most frequently credited for leading the first expedition of Europeans to the Western Hemisphere. Sale debunks that and many other false or at least suspect claims about the life of the person we know as Christopher Columbus. He had several aliases but according to written records was not ever called that during his one life.
Still, his life remains a mystery in many ways. Where was he from? Sale offers solid evidence he was not from the Italian peninsula--Italy did not then exist as a nation-state--and was almost certainly not from Genoa. He was on the run and had reinvented himself many times before appearing before the Spanish court. What drove him to take such risks?
Sale also provides the context that the first voyage took place at the height of the Spanish inquisition and that a significant number of the crew were Jews and other heretics. Not a single cleric was listed aboard the ship's registry, so the quest to be a Christian mission is highly suspect. It was gold and not souls that Colombo--as he was then known--wanted to liberate.
The last half or more was about his legacy, and the ecological and cultural price paid for European conquest. It is more abstract and requires considerable more unpacking than the narrative biography of an enigmatic individual. Here the book lagged in some places and overreached in others. In the end, published on the eve of the quin-centennial, people are finally starting to question what was actually accomplished by the European invasion of the Western Hemisphere. The story calls for a sequel.
Still, his life remains a mystery in many ways. Where was he from? Sale offers solid evidence he was not from the Italian peninsula--Italy did not then exist as a nation-state--and was almost certainly not from Genoa. He was on the run and had reinvented himself many times before appearing before the Spanish court. What drove him to take such risks?
Sale also provides the context that the first voyage took place at the height of the Spanish inquisition and that a significant number of the crew were Jews and other heretics. Not a single cleric was listed aboard the ship's registry, so the quest to be a Christian mission is highly suspect. It was gold and not souls that Colombo--as he was then known--wanted to liberate.
The last half or more was about his legacy, and the ecological and cultural price paid for European conquest. It is more abstract and requires considerable more unpacking than the narrative biography of an enigmatic individual. Here the book lagged in some places and overreached in others. In the end, published on the eve of the quin-centennial, people are finally starting to question what was actually accomplished by the European invasion of the Western Hemisphere. The story calls for a sequel.
April 27, 2021
Thirty years after this book’s initial publication on the quincentennial of Columbus’ landing, what was seen then as a contrarian polemic now reads much closer to a mainstream view of the actions of Columbus and those who followed in his wake. This is a very interesting read that really shines in identifying some of the cultural factors in Europe that made the encounter with the New World take the form it did and provide an explanation (although not a justification) for some of its worst aspects. I found Sale’s description regarding pre-Columbian American societies and their way of life and ecological impact a little superficial and rose-coloured, but there is lots to be gained in reading this as a supplement to a more straightforward narrative such as Bergreen’s “Columbus: the Four Voyages”.
July 22, 2020
This would be more impressive without the unsupported assertions. The author has a bizarrely simplistic view of non-European civilisations and their relationship to science and nature which may be true of the Americas but certainly aren't true of Asia and the Islamic world, for example. He also makes some elementary and embarrassing mistakes with British history.
April 30, 2022
Preacher Kirkpatrick has a Sale. The book is true, because he made countless of video interviews with the witnesses of those events. So criticize his work, only after you have seen the evidence of this valuable vicar of the Earth.
September 28, 2021
The theme of this book is the genocide of the Noble, Edenic "Savage" by the Christian, Euro-"Savage."
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews