Sunday, January 12, 2014

Excerpt from: The Log of Christopher Columbus * 13 January 1493 (Part 1 of 4)

Taken from The Log of Christopher Columbus (Part 1 of 4)
Sunday, 13 January 1493


At dawn I saw the land; a cape that I named Cabo de Padre e Hijo (Father and Son Cape; now known as Punta Pescadores) because at the eastern end it has two small rocky points, one larger than the other. Six miles to the east I came to a large and very beautiful inlet between two great mountains and saw that it was a spacious harbor, well protected, with a very nice entrance. But it was quite early in the morning, and in order not to lose time (because most of the time the wind here blows from the east and one is carried NNW), I could not delay any longer. I continued on to the east as far as a very high and beautiful cape of jagged rock, which I named Cabo del Enamorado (Lover’s (Leap) Cape; now known as Cabo Cabron). This cape is 24 miles east of the harbor mentioned above, which I named Puerto Sacro (Sacred Port; now known as Puerto Escondido). Upon arriving at this cape, I discovered yet another, even more beautiful and higher and rounded, (The name is not formally mentioned in the Log until 16 January, but Columbus is referring to Cabo de San Theramo (Cape of Saint Theramo); now known as Cabo Samana), all rock, like the Cabo de San Vincente in Portugal. It is 9 miles east of Cabo del Enamorado. Between these two capes there is a large bay, (Bahia de Samana; now known as Golfo de las Flechas, as it was on the shores of this bay that Columbus and his men had their first skirmish with the Indians) 9 miles wide, in the middle of which there is a very tiny island. The water of the bay is quite deep right up to the land. I anchored here in 12 fathoms of water and sent the boat ashore for water and to see if my men could speak with the people, but they all fled. Another reason I anchored was to see if this land is part of the Isla Espanola, or if the two are separated by this bay. I am amazed to find that the Isla Espanola is so large.
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This picture of Cabo Enamorado/Cabo Cabron was found on the Internet

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