Primary Source #5

Columbus again

We hear from Columbus again; this time from 1503 when he is trying to repair his reputation with the Spanish monarchs after some of his initial claims about the New World failed to produce as much gold as hoped. He complains of how he has been unjustly stripped of his assets and offices, providing Ferdinand and Isabella with an opportunity to claim they had not ordered these actions. He says he is heartbroken that his son Diego has been penalized in Spain. He claims that his new information about where gold can be found is accurate and that the others who have accompanied him will not be able to find these places again. And Columbus still seems to believe he is on the edge of Asia, when he mentions that a location on the mainland is a short distance from the Ganges River.