#christopher columbus

bye bye :)
christopher columbus statue has been torn down and thrown in the lake by protesters in downtown Richmondhe (Source: Coleman Jennings/MyVPM)

I would love to see a debate between a flat-earther and a tiddy-planet-earther. But yeah, fuck Columbus.

Christopher Columbus probably used the map above as he planned his first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. It represents much of what Europeans knew about geography on the verge discovering the New World, and it’s packed with text historians would love to read—if only the faded paint and five centuries of wear and tear hadn’t rendered most of it illegible.

But that’s about to change. 

Uncovering Hidden Text on a 500-Year-Old Map That Guided Columbus

Like much of the West Indies, St. Kitts and Nevis has gone through a number of iterations in its history since being colonized by the Europeans, including historically having Anguilla be part of the federation (until it seceded at the time of independence to remain a British Overseas Territory).  Saint Kitts (also known as Saint Christopher) appears to have misnamed on early maps [likely it was supposed to have been Saint James, named by Columbus, but was misprinted as San Cristóbal, which name stuck with early English colonists who, as we know, take delight in nicknames, Kitt being a favorite shortening of Christopher], while Nevis is a mistransliteration of the Spanish Nieves (for Our Lady of the Snows).  St. Kitts and Nevis gained Associated State status in 1967, then full independence in 1983, but remains a part of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Stamp details:
Top left:
Issued on: July 19, 1862
From: Charlestown, Nevis
MC #1

Top middle:
Issued on: April 1, 1870
From: Basseterre, Saint Christopher
MC #1

Top right:
Issued in: 1903
From: Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
MC #1

Second row:
Issued on: February 27, 1967
From: Basseterre, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
MC #177

Third row left:
Issued on: September 4, 1980
From: Basseterre, Saint Kitts
MC #39

Third row right:
Issued on: September 4, 1980
From: Charlestown, Nevis
MC #38

Fourth row left:
Issued on: September 19, 1983
From: Basseterre, Saint Kitts
MC #111

Fourth row right:
Issued on: September 19, 1983
From: Charlestown, Nevis
MC #100

Bottom left:
Issued on: April 14, 2016
From: Basseterre, Saint Kitts
MC #1541

Bottom right:
Issued on: April 1, 2016
From: Charlestown, Nevis
MC #3143

Recognized as a sovereign state by the UN: Yes (since September 23, 1983)
Official name: Saint Kitts and Nevis; Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
Member of the Universal Postal Union: Yes (since January 11, 1988)

Llegada de Cristóbal Colón al “Nuevo Mundo” según Dióscoro Puebla. Aparece la bandera, de la por aquel entonces era la Corona de Castilla.

“En 1492, los nativos descubrieron que eran indios, descubrieron que vivían en América, descubrieron que estaban desnudos, descubrieron que existía el pecado, descubrieron que debían obediencia a un rey y a una reina de otro mundo y a un dios de otro cielo, y que ese dios había inventado la culpa y lo vestido, y había mandado que fuera quemado vivo quien adorara al sol y a la luna y a la tierra y a la lluvia que la moja”.
—Eduardo Galeano, “Los hijos de los días”

3 Terrible Facts About Christopher Columbus - Happy Columbus Day!

In dishonor of Columbus Day as a Native American I decided to share three appalling facts about the explorer “hero” we are taught about in school.

This crown was first seen on Sean Connery as King Richard in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Rachel Ward as Queen Isabella of Castile would wear the piece the next year in the 1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.

Costume Credit: Lucia

E-mail Submissions:[email protected]

Follow:Website|Twitter|Facebook|Pinterest|Instagram