Themes Of Cannibalism And Torture At Christopher Columbus

Summary In 1492 when Christopher Columbus made it to the western hemisphere, he landed in the Bahamas where there were many Native American tribes living on different islands in the area. There were the Eastern Taino, the Western Taino, the â€Å"classic† Taino’s, and other small Native American peoples. Christopher Columbus happened to land on the island with the Western Taino. The Western Taino were the most peaceful of the three Taino, as well as the most complex Native American group in the area and they heavily relied on agriculture, fishing, and hunting. They welcomed Columbus and his men without thinking and were helpful in aiding the Europeans’ recovery from their long voyage from Europe. The Classic Tainos were the largest group in†¦show more content†¦Christopher Columbus quickly realized that the Taino were not as militarized as the Spaniards and quickly conquered them. Causes There were many causes of exploration in this time period. There was a large desire to find an easy pathway to Asia. This was important to Europeans because in Asia there were spices, silks, and wealth. Most of the European nations were also after new territory to make colonies and extend their empires. Spain’s main concern was mineral wealth. They went looking for â€Å"El Dorado† or the city of Gold. Spain, France, and England were interested in spreading Christianity as well. When the Spanish Crown approved Christopher Columbus and his men to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, their main goal was to find a more accessible and faster way to get to India. The previous route took you all the way around Africa and took a hefty amount of time. It would benefit Spain more if a faster way was discovered. The Spanish were hoping to find and quicker way and when they did, they had planned to regulate the path and force those who use it to pay Spain. In the eyes of the Spanish th is was ideal and very much wanted by the Spanish crown. When Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, he believed he had reached India and called the inhabitants of the island Indians. This was not the case, Columbus had actually reached land where no European nations had current colonies and was unknown to them. This caused other European powers to assemble groups to travel to