Where Is Christopher Columbus Buried

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was a Genoese navigator and explorer, best remembered for his 1492 voyage which discovered the western hemisphere for Europe. Although he died in Spain, his remains were sent back to Hispaniola, and from there, things get a little murky. Two cities, Seville (Spain) and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) claim that they have the remains of the great explorer. A Legendary Explorer Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure. Some revere him for boldly sailing west from Europe at a time when to do so was considered certain death, finding continents never dreamed of by Europes most ancient civilizations. Others see him as a cruel, ruthless man who brought disease, slavery, and exploitation to the pristine New World. Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that Columbus changed his world. Death of Christopher Columbus After his disastrous fourth voyage to the New World, an aged and infirm Columbus returned to Spain in 1504. He died in Valladolid in May of 1506, and he was at first buried there. But Columbus was, then as now, a powerful figure, and the question soon arose as to what to do with his remains. He had expressed a desire to be buried in the New World, but in 1506 there were no buildings there impressive enough to house such lofty remains. In 1509, his remains were moved to the convent at La Cartuja, an island in a river near Seville. A Well-Traveled Corpse Christopher Columbus traveled more after death than many people do in life! In 1537, his bones and those of his son Diego were sent from Spain to Santo Domingo to lie in the cathedral there. As time went on, Santo Domingo became less important to the Spanish Empire and in 1795 Spain ceded all of Hispaniola, including Santo Domingo, to France as part of a peace treaty. Columbus remains were judged too important to fall into French hands, so they were sent to Havana. But in 1898, Spain went to war with the United States, and the remains were sent back to Spain lest they fall to the Americans. Thus ended Columbus fifth round-trip journey to the New World†¦or so it seemed. An Interesting Find In 1877, workers in the Santo Domingo cathedral found a heavy leaden box inscribed with the words â€Å"Illustrious and distinguished male, don Cristobal Colon.† Inside was a set of human remains and everyone assumed they belonged to the legendary explorer. Columbus was returned to his resting place and the Dominicans have claimed ever since that the Spanish hauled the wrong set of bones out of the cathedral in 1795. Meanwhile, the remains sent back to Spain via Cuba were interred in an imposing tomb in the Cathedral in Seville. But which city had the real Columbus? The Argument for the Dominican Republic The man whose remains are in the box in the Dominican Republic shows signs of advanced arthritis, an ailment from which the elderly Columbus was known to have suffered. There is, of course, the inscription on the box, which no one suspects is false. It was Columbus’ wish to be buried in the New World and he founded Santo Domingo; it’s not unreasonable to think that some Dominican passed off some other bones as those of Columbus in 1795. The Argument for Spain The Spanish have two solid arguments. First of all, the DNA contained in the bones in Seville is an extremely close match to that of Columbus’ son Diego, who is also buried there. The experts who did the DNA testing believe the remains are those of Christopher Columbus. The Dominican Republic has refused to authorize a DNA test of their remains. The other strong Spanish argument is the well-documented travels of the remains in question. Had the lead box not been discovered in 1877, there would be no controversy. What’s at Stake At first glance, the whole debate may seem trivial. Columbus has been dead for 500 years, so who cares? The reality is more complicated, and there is more at stake than meets the eye. In spite of the fact that Columbus has lately fallen from grace with the political correctness crowd, he remains a powerful figure; he was once considered for sainthood. Although he has what we could call â€Å"baggage,† both cities want to claim him as their own. The tourism factor alone is huge; many tourists would like to take their picture in front of Christopher Columbus’ tomb. This is probably why the Dominican Republic has refused all DNA tests; there is too much to lose and nothing to gain for a small nation that depends heavily on tourism. So, Where Is Columbus Buried? Each city believes they have the real Columbus, and each has built an impressive monument to house his remains. In Spain, his remains are carried for eternity in a sarcophagus by massive statues. In the Dominican Republic, his remains are securely stored inside a towering monument/lighthouse built for that purpose. The Dominicans refuse to acknowledge the DNA test done on the Spanish bones and refuse to allow one to be done on theirs. Until they do, it will be impossible to know for sure. Some people think that Columbus is in both places. By 1795, his remains would have been nothing but powder and bones and it would have been easy to send half of him to Cuba and hide the other half in the Santo Domingo Cathedral. Perhaps that would be the most fitting end for the man who brought the New World back to the old. Sources Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. Hardcover, 1st edition, Random House, June 1, 2004.

An Illustration of Monastic Life in the 14th Century...

Jean-Jacques Annaud, The Name of the Rose historical fiction murder mystery illustrates monastic life in the 14th century. This medieval film takes place in a remote Benedictine abbey in Northern Italy. Annaud is historically successful in recounting monastic life during the Middle Ages. The enriching backdrop of this film presents the culture of monastic life. The setting is beautifully examined and replicated to show the distinct and complicated architecture of the times. The characterization of the monks is distinct in their appearance common to medieval times. As well, through the plot and dialogue, the implication of religious, social and political aspects of monastic life is delivered. The combination of these three details†¦show more content†¦The buildings had barrel vaults columns and windows and doors with rounded arches. The buildings were solid and heavy with small windows which made the insides very dimly lit. This lack of light is apparent in the film as a way to describe the general mindset and lifestyle of monastic life in the Middle Ages. Romanesque architecture is known for its large internal spaces. Annaud uses these Middle Age details in his construction of the set. As Professor Russell describes in the Medieval Culture lecture the different rooms of the monastery contained the cloister which connected the dormitory, refectory, scriptorium, kitchen, cellar, and herbal garden. The small windows, arched doorways and the non-human void of expressivity capitals and sculptures were all true to the times. Annaud constructed this Romanesque church set built specifically to shoot majority of the film. The attention and detail that he put into making sure that the backdrop provided a true and accurate account for how religious architecture was in the Middle Ages furthered the success of the film. Characterization was immensely important in producing an accurate image of medieval life in The Name of the Rose. In a monastery, people would come from different regions to live. To show that diversity Annaud did an impressive job finding actors to play the distinctive role of each monk. Annaud claims that he specifically chose those actors for the representation of the realness that the emotional

Fate and Tragedy free essay sample

This paper examines the theme of fate throughout the works of Sophocles, Aristotle and Euripides. This paper tries to determine whether Greek tragedy supports or refutes the idea of fate through looking at the plays of Sophocles and Euripides, and the writings of Aristotle. The author examines how Aristotle is used to set up the question, and give an algorithm for finding the answer. By looking at Sophocles, it appears that fate is being fought, and by looking at Euripides, it looks like fate is upheld. From the paper: Throughout the course of time, many cultures have held the belief that events happen for a reason, and that peoples lives are predestined. This concept is a controversial one, and there is no good way to prove that fate is actually a force that acts upon people. Some argue that life is what people make of it, others contend that it is impossible that life is completely random and something out there is controlling the outcome of all that humans do. We will write a custom essay sample on Fate and Tragedy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When analyzing tragedy, it is difficult to determine whether or not fate plays a role.

The Entrance of Dougies Restaurant into Global Markets free essay sample

Formal business research about a kosher American restaurant and the feasibility of bringing it into the global market through bringing a franchise of it to Israel. As of now, Dougie?s Restaurant is having serious internal problems with customer satisfaction. There are plans of expansion of Dougie?s into the global market through the opening of a store in the heart of Jerusalem. This report identifies problems and areas which need improvement such as: training and communication skills between employees and customers. This may help lead to increased customer satisfaction and as a result solutions to this problem can be carried over to further stores. The feasibility of a Dougie?s Restaurant is also examined. The purpose of this report is to examine the feasibility of the success of a Dougies Restaurant in Israel based on the analysis of the existing stores in America. It was found that in out pre-existing stores in America, our employees job training plan lacks informational and communication skills that our employees need. We will write a custom essay sample on The Entrance of Dougies Restaurant into Global Markets or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Overall, customers felt employees were too unfamiliar with products, price, and were not able to solve problems. These problems caused a decrease in profits as well as customers. It also caused a lack of motivation among the employees. Inefficient job training and communication skills have lead to a decrease in clientele, productive labor, and profits. These problems will continue to exist in the store that will be opened in Israel if they are not fixed.