Tuesday, 1 January 1493
At midnight I sent a boat to the island of Amiga to fetch the rhubarb. It returned at vespers with a basketful. They did not bring more because they did not carry a spade with them to dig it. I am carrying what they brought to the Sovereigns as a specimen. The King of this country has sent many canoes for gold. The sailor who had been sent with the Indian canoe to look for the Pinta returned without finding anything. This sailor told me that at a distance of 15 miles from there he had seen a king who wore upon his head two large gold plates, and when the Indians in the canoe spoke to him he took them off; the sailor said he also saw other persons with a great deal of gold. I think that King Guacanagari has prohibited everyone from trading gold to us, so that it might all pass through his hands. But I have learned about places where there is so much gold that they do not assign a price to it. I have also learned where there are spices in large quantities, worth more than pepper or allspice. The people remaining here have been ordered to obtain as much of these as they can.
------------------------------
This photo of Anacaona was found on the Internet. We can only guess if this is the sort of headpiece the sailor said he saw a Taino king wearing on his head.
No comments:
Post a Comment