Returning to a Place I Never Knew: Historical Perspectives on Spain

By Rev. Dr. Angela S. Duncan *Union-PSCE ’03

While visiting with my daughter and her family here in Spain, I have been reading and learning some of this great country’s history. Perhaps you will be as stimulated as I have been to be reminded of the relationship of Spain through the  Spanish Inquisition, Christopher Columbus and their influence on the new World.

The Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) was established to consolidate the different regions of Spain by fighting heresy (anyone not Christian); removing the Moors from southern Spain; and eradicating the Jewish and Muslim faith practices. The inquisition was brutal and many lost their lives.  Jews and Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity but were unable to remove the suspicions around their conversions, and were often abused or even killed. The inquisition was established under the rule of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Spain, the very same King and Queen who in 1492, sponsored Christopher Columbus’ journey to the west to find a trade route to Asia.  The King and Queen wanted to obtain a competitive edge over other European countries for trade in the West Indies.

Christopher Columbus thought the West Indies and South America were east of the Asian continent. He never reached Asia but is credited with discovering a path to the Western world at a time that Europe was ready to explore, exploit and colonize the American continents.   He considered them simple and heathen. Columbus is also known for eradicating whole tribes of indigenous peoples, spreading disease, promoting slavery, and exacting tyranny against Spanish colonists.  He used his Christian faith and his study of the Bible to support his actions and he wanted all of the indigenous peoples he encountered to be converted to Christianity.  As the indigenous populations were decimated, more Europeans were able to capture the land in the New World.  Eventually African slave labor was needed to increase the profits gained there.

Although Portugal was the first European nation to capture slaves from the continent of Africa, Spain was the first European nation to take African slaves to the New World, so it is most likely that my ancestor, Cato, was an African slave or the offspring of an interracial union. He was a navigator on a ship and that makes sense because Spain had the oldest and most powerful naval force in the world, which dates back to the 16^thand 17^thcenturies.  Spain also is credited with being the first to globally circumnavigate the world, and eventually develop a vast trade network.