Christopher Columbus Miscommunication

When the Columbus and the Spanish started to arrive to the new world, many myths of what happened during those times of conquest were made. Myths do not have to only be made up stories but could also be stories that hold some truth to them. Conquistadors Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortez and explores Christopher Columbus both came to believe they were perceived as gods by Natives. Many of this conclusions were made up by miscommunication and also self-benefits, mainly for titles and riches. In modern times, scholars argue how a myth can be depicted from history and the causes that drove Europeans to call themselves as gods and how miscommunication led these theories. Coming to a place with different morals than the Christians can cause people …show more content…
This history tells only the European perspective and it is many time mythologize to make Europeans the protagonist. The story of Christopher Columbus is one of the most mythologize story is in history to this day, starting from his discovery of “America” when he believed he was in India during his life. Before Columbus actually arrive to the new worlds, he expected to be seen as a god. Landing in the Hispaniola and being greeted by one of the Tainos chiefs with a gift showing signs of alliances, Columbus took this as a sign that he was portrayed to be a god. It was fairly understandable for Columbus to come to this conclusion since he did not what giving gifts meant to the native, and he was already convinced the he was a god in their eyes before arriving. Columbus was not the only European to believe to be perceived as gods by natives.
When Herman Cortes fled the island of Cuba to sail to Mesoamerica without the crowns permission, mythologization became a big part of his journey to getting the crown on his side. While in Mesoamerica, Cortez claimed to be the returning god Quetzalcoatl however, that god was not common to the people of Centro Mexico at all and how would natives have known this white god if there were no whites in the Americas. The only conclusion that could be made from this myth was that Cortez really needed the crown to support him and leave aside his past rebellious …show more content…
to this day, many Americans refer to Columbus as the founder of the Americas even though he never stepped foot in that region and to whom knowledge had never actually discovered a new continent. Myths can many times be pure lies or half-truth. The story that Cortez was a god that had never existed to the natives, only a myth for Cortez to gain again support from the crown. In south America, Pizarro’s belief to be god Viracocha was only due to miscommunication in translation. It was true that Pizarro and his men were called Viracocha meaning Christians and not in the context of gods. The reason in many of the mythologization between the natives and European’s has to do with European greed and selfishness. Europeans saw themselves as superior and made up stories in order to get the right sponsorships by the crown to conquer land and gold, and have an honorable