At Sea
On our last full day at sea, we are thinking in Spanish as we sail towards the Canary Islands. Our morning presentation by the expedition historian set the scene with a deconstruction of what Spanish historians, until recently, liked to called their autentico ser, the authentic spirit of Spain. That Spain was loyally Catholic, preserved from the contagion of the Reformation behind the natural shield of the Pyrennees, and freed of Muslim (and Jewish) contamination by the glorious victory over the Moors of Ferdinand and Isabella at Granada in 1492.
That same year, as every schoolchild knows, Columbus sailed the ocean blue to discover…. America. His voyage of settlement in the subsequent year claimed the New World in the name of Catholic Spain. The Canary Islands are Christopher Columbus’ territory. His brother-in-law held the office of Governor there, and the newly married Columbus shared his home in Porto Santo for a couple of years. Later, in one of history’s famous love affairs, Columbus would take every opportunity to visit the beautiful Beatrice who lived on Gomera. Known to the geographers of the ancient world as the Fortunate Islands, they are rich in the agricultural produce that flourishes in these subtropical climates. They made a perfect stop for provisioning (and more) for Columbus as he crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean on his voyages of discovery. The local tradition of smoked cheese is a culinary consequence of naval provisioning. The Columbus connection has resulted in Gomera being called Isla Colombina by the locals.
The islands take their name from a native mastiff dog, which Columbus took to the New World to help him hunt down the Arawak “indians”. Some of these dogs are still to be found on the islands. There are few traces of the original inhabitants, the guanche , an aboriginal people who had probably crossed over to the islands from North Africa. When the Spanish first colonized the islands at the beginning of the fifteenth century the guanche were used as slave labor: their monument is the magnificent terracing work to be seen on the islands today. A more widespread Canary Island influence exists today throughout the New World. The seeds, plants and animals that Columbus took with him to the New World all came from here.
On our last full day at sea, we are thinking in Spanish as we sail towards the Canary Islands. Our morning presentation by the expedition historian set the scene with a deconstruction of what Spanish historians, until recently, liked to called their autentico ser, the authentic spirit of Spain. That Spain was loyally Catholic, preserved from the contagion of the Reformation behind the natural shield of the Pyrennees, and freed of Muslim (and Jewish) contamination by the glorious victory over the Moors of Ferdinand and Isabella at Granada in 1492.
That same year, as every schoolchild knows, Columbus sailed the ocean blue to discover…. America. His voyage of settlement in the subsequent year claimed the New World in the name of Catholic Spain. The Canary Islands are Christopher Columbus’ territory. His brother-in-law held the office of Governor there, and the newly married Columbus shared his home in Porto Santo for a couple of years. Later, in one of history’s famous love affairs, Columbus would take every opportunity to visit the beautiful Beatrice who lived on Gomera. Known to the geographers of the ancient world as the Fortunate Islands, they are rich in the agricultural produce that flourishes in these subtropical climates. They made a perfect stop for provisioning (and more) for Columbus as he crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean on his voyages of discovery. The local tradition of smoked cheese is a culinary consequence of naval provisioning. The Columbus connection has resulted in Gomera being called Isla Colombina by the locals.
The islands take their name from a native mastiff dog, which Columbus took to the New World to help him hunt down the Arawak “indians”. Some of these dogs are still to be found on the islands. There are few traces of the original inhabitants, the guanche , an aboriginal people who had probably crossed over to the islands from North Africa. When the Spanish first colonized the islands at the beginning of the fifteenth century the guanche were used as slave labor: their monument is the magnificent terracing work to be seen on the islands today. A more widespread Canary Island influence exists today throughout the New World. The seeds, plants and animals that Columbus took with him to the New World all came from here.
