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On the morning of 3rd August 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus departed the Spanish town of Palos de la Frontera and embarked on what would become a monumental voyage across the unknown Atlantic, one that would forever alter the course of human history. Steering three modest ships—the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María—he set sail under the Spanish flag, spurred on by the promise of discovery and the allure of the East Indies. As he navigated the vast and treacherous waters, Columbus would not only map uncharted territories but also document encounters that introduced the Old World to the peoples and cultures of the New. On 23rd November 1492, he made an entry of profound significance; he recorded, seemingly for the first time, the term ‘Canibales’. This reference to the Carib people marked the inception of the term ‘cannibal’ into European lexicon—a term that would resonate through the centuries, laden with myth and heavily influenced by the weight of colonialism.
The Diary Entry
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Friday, Nov. 23d. [1492]
Kept on their course South towards the land with a light wind; the current set so strong against them that they made no progress ahead, but found themselves at sunset, where they had been in the morning. The wind was E.N.E. and favourable for sailing to the South, except that it was light. Beyond the cape which they saw before them extended out another headland toward the East, which the Indians on board called Bohio, and said it was very large, and contained inhabitants with one eye in their foreheads and others which they called Canibales, and spoke of them with many marks of fear; as soon as they saw the ships were taking that course they were struck with terror, and signified that the people went armed, and would devour them. The Admiral declares that he believes there is some truth in their representations, but thinks that these people described as possessing arms must be a race of some sagacity, and that having made prisoners of some of the other Indians, their friends not finding them to return, concluded they had eaten them. This, in fact, was the opinion entertained of the Spaniards by some of the natives at their first arrival.
Further Reading
Columbus’ original journal has been missing since 1504, so we must depend on a copy transcribed by Bartolomé de las Casas. The journal was first published in 1825. Two years later it was translated into English by Samuel Kettell and published by Thomas B. Wait & Son with the title, Personal Narrative of the First Voyage of Columbus to America. It is from that edition that the above entry comes. Others have followed.
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