Christopher Columbus's Naming in the 'diarios' of the Four Voyages (1492-1504): A Discourse of Negotiation (Toronto Iberic)

In this fascinating book, Evelina Gužauskytė uses the names Columbus gave to places in the Caribbean Basin as a way to examine the complex encounter between Europeans and the native inhabitants. Gužauskytė challenges the common notion that Columbus’s acts of naming were merely an imperial attempt to impose his will on the terrain. Instead, she argues that they were the result of the collisions between several distinct worlds, including the real and mythical geography of the Old World, Portuguese and Catalan naming traditions, and the knowledge and mapping practices of the Taino inhabitants of the Caribbean. Rather than reflecting the Spanish desire for an orderly empire, Columbus’s collection of place names was fractured and fragmented – the product of the explorer’s dynamic relationship with the inhabitants, nature, and geography of the Caribbean Basin. To complement Gužauskytė’s argument, the book also features the first comprehensive list of the more than two hundred Columbian place names that are documented in his diarios and other contemporary sources. In This Fascinating Book, Evelina Gužauskytė Uses The Names Columbus Gave To Places In The Caribbean Basin As A Way To Examine The Complex Encounter Between Europeans And The Native Inhabitants -- Dust Jacket. Named Incorrectly The Geographic And Symbolic Functions Of Columbian Place Names -- Words And The World : The Known Corpus Of Columbian Place Names -- Y Saber Dellos Los Secretos De La Tierra : Taino Toponymy And Columbian Naming -- Heavenly Bodies And Metallurgy In Columbian Toponymy -- Iguana And Christ -- Infernal Imagery : Spirituality And Cosmology In The Final Two Voyages -- Conclusion -- Appendix : A Comprehensive List Of Columbian Place Names. Evelina Gužauskytė. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 249-263) And Index. Illustrations Pages vii-viii Acknowledgments Pages ix-x Abbreviations Pages xi-xii Introduction Pages 1-31 1. “Named Incorrectly”: The Geographic and Symbolic Functions of Columbian Place Names Pages 32-45 2. Words and the World: The Known Corpus of Columbian Place Names Pages 46-60 3. “Y saber dellos los secretos de la tierra”: Taino Toponymy and Columbian Naming Pages 61-102 5. Iguana and Christ Pages 103-122 6. Infernal Imagery: Spirituality and Cosmology in the Final Two Voyages Pages 123-156 Conclusion Pages 157-168 Appendix: A Comprehensive List of Columbian Place Names Pages 169-196 Notes Pages 197-248 Bibliography Pages 249-264 Index Pages 265-276