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The Ancient Records of the Island: Juana

Columbus saw for the first time the land of the island of Cuba in the afternoon of the 27th October, 1492, and on the following day, Sunday the 28th, entered a river on its northern coast. He called this river San Salvador, and to the Island he gave the name of Juana. He then took possession of the new territory for the king and queen of Castile, and sailed along its coast until the 5th of December, in which time he visited five harbors named by him Puerto y Rio de Mares, Mar de Nuestra Senora, Puerto Principe, Santa Catalina y Puerto Santo.

Here is his own statement in old Spanish and with the old spelling. "Cuando yo llegue a la Juana segui yo la costa della poniente y la falle tan grande que pense que seria tierra firme, la prouincia de Catayo, y como no falle asi villas y lugares en la costa de la mar, salvo pequenas poblaciones, con la gente de las cuales no podia hauer fabla, porque luego fuyan todos, andaua yo adelante por el dicho camino, pensando de no errar grandes ciudades o villas, y al cabo de muchas leguas visto que no hauia innovacion y que la costa me leuaua al setentrion, de donde mi voluntad era contraria, por que el yuierno era ya encarnado, yo tenia proposito de hazer del austro y tanbien el viento me dio adelante, determine de no aguardar otro tiempo, y bolui atras fasta un senalado puerto da donde embie dos hombres por la tierra para saber si hauia rey o grandes ciudades. Andouieron tres jornadas y hallaron infinitas poblaciones pequenas y gente sin numero, mas no cosa de regimiento, por lo qual se boluieron. Yo entendia harta de otros jndios que ya tenia tomados commo continuamente esta tierra era isla, et asi segui la costa della al oriente ciento y siete leguas faste donde fazia fin: del qual cabo vi otra isla al oriente distante de esta diez e ocho leguas, a la qual luego puse nombre la Espanola, y fui alli y segui la parte del setentrion asi como de la Juana, al oriente clxxxiij grandes leguas por linia recta del oriente, la cual y todas las otras son fertilisimas en demasiado grado, y esta en estremo; en ella ay muchos puertos enla costa dela mar, sin comparacion de otros que yo sepa en christianos, y fartos rios, y buenos, y grandes, que es marauilla. Las tierras della son altas y en ella muy muchas sierras y montanas altissimas sin comparacion de la isla de Teneryfe. Son todas fermossissimas de mill fechuras y todas andabiles y llenas de arboles de mil maneras y altas y parecen que llegan al cielo; y tengo por dicho que jamas pierden la foja, segun puedo comprender que los vi tan verdes y tan hermosos commo son en Mayo en Spana, y dellos stavan floridos, dellos confruto, y dellos en otro termino segun es su calidad; y cantaua el ruisenol y otros paxaricos de mil maneras en el mes de nouiembre por alli donde yo andaua. Ay palmas de seys o de ocho maneras, que es admiracion verlas por la disformidad fermosa dellas mas assi commo los otros arboles y frutos et yeruas. En ella hay pinares a marauilla, e ay canpinas grandissimas et ay mjel, y de muchas maneras de aves y frutas muy diversas. En las tierras ay muchas minas de metales et ay gente inestimable numero," etc. (The above is quoted from his first letter to Santangel, the chancellor of the exchequer of Aragon, dated at Lisbon, the 14th March, 1493, just on his return from his first voyage.) TRANSLATION. "When I reached Juana, I followed its coast to the westward, and found it so large that I thought that it must be mainland, the province of Cathay; and as I found neither towns nor villages on the seacoast, but only some hamlets, with the inhabitants of which I could not hold conversation, because they all immediately fled, I kept on the same route, thinking that I could not fail to light upon some large cities or towns. "At length, after the proceeding of many leagues, and finding that nothing new presented itself, and that the coast was leading me northwards (which I wished to avoid, because winter had already set in, and it was my intention to move southwards; and because, moreover, the winds were contrary), I resolved not to wait for a change in the weather, but returned to a certain harbor which I had remarked, and from which I sent two men ashore to ascertain whether there was any king or large cities in that part. They journeyed for three days, and found countless small hamlets, with numberless inhabitants, but with nothing like order; they, therefore, returned. In the meantime I had learned from some other Indians, whom I had seized, that this land was certainly an island; accordingly, I followed the coast eastward for a distance of 107 leagues, where it ended in a cape. From this cape I saw another island to the eastward, at a distance of eighteen leagues from the former, to which I gave the name of La Espanola. Thither I went, and followed its northern coast (just the same as I had done with the coast of Juana) 118 full miles due east. This island, like all others, is extraordinarily large, and this one extremely so. In it are many seaports, with which none that I know in Christendom can bear comparison, so good and capacious that it is a wonder to see. The lands are high, and there are many lofty mountains, with which the islands of Tenerife cannot be compared. They are all most beautiful, of a thousand different shapes, accessible, and covered with trees of a thousand kinds, of such great height that they seem to reach the skies. I am told that the trees never lose their foliage, and I can well understand it, for I observed that they were as green and luxuriant as in Spain in the month of May. Some were in bloom, others bearing fruit, and others otherwise, according to their nature. The nightingale was singing, as well as other little birds of a thousand different kinds, and that in November, the month in which I was roaming amongst them. There are palm-trees of six or eight kinds, wonderful in their beautiful variety; but this is the case with all other trees and fruits and grasses. It contains extraordinary pine groves and very extensive plains. There is also honey, and a great variety of birds, and many different kinds of fruits. In the interior there are many mines of metals, and a population innumerable," etc.