Discovery Five Hundred Newsletter of the International Columbian Quincentenary Alliance Volume V, Number 1, January-February 1990 COLUMBUS ODYSSEY IN THE BAHAMAS By Joseph M. Laufer The theme of the Columbus Fly-Out Committee of the Bahamas is "In Search of Columbus". My first trip to Nassau was in 1965--my interest in Columbus was but a seedling at that time. Then, in March, 1986, while aboard the S.S. Norway in Bahamian waters, I arose at 3:00 a.m. to view the island of San Salvador in the distance--its white cliffs and flashing lighthouse beckoning. I knew that I would set foot on this "Island of Discovery" sometime before the end of 1992--yet I was unsure of how I might arrange it. Early in 1988 I learned of the Discovery Fly-Out project, "In Search of Columbus", sponsored by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Flying Club of Nassau and I secretly wished for some excuse to get involved. The big break came when, in the summer of 1989, a news release concerning the 1989 Fly-Out arrived at Discovery Five Hundred headquarters. While the Fly-Out was primarily a flying competition among Nassau Flying Club pilots, a limited number of seats were available for members of the press and other non-pilots. I jumped at the opportunity and indicated my interest in receiving a registration packet. My personal search for Columbus would take me to the Bahamas at a critical time in the planning period for the Quincentenary. Little did I realize that I would be treated almost as a celebrity by the Fly-Out committee. Before the summer of 1989 was over, I had received personal calls from Fly-Out organizer Jose Gomez and had the feeling that this was not going to be just an ordinary travel event. As it turned out, it wasn't--it was a trip of a lifetime. I was no stranger to educational expeditions--having done research in Puerto Rico in 1974 and in Spain in 1987 (see "Columbus Odyssey in Spain" in the March, 1988 issue of Discovery Five Hundred). Prior to that, during my stint as "Halley's Comet Man", I had visited England, France, and Italy in my search for the History of that famous comet, and had written a series of articles on those adventures in a similar Newsletter. Earlier publicity on the Fly-Out indicated that the event is not just a flying competition, nor a typical tour of the out islands-- rather, it is an adventure into history, culture and island life of the islands Columbus first visited in 1492. This was the third annual Fly-Out, and unlike the first two, was not going to focus so much on San Salvador as on Long Island--Columbus' "Fernandina"--the third island he visited on his initial voyage. There would be a brief stop on San Salvador, and while not exactly what I preferred, just getting there was enough to satisfy my yearning for experiencing history. I was to be pleasantly surprised by an unexpected turn of events--but more about that later. Jose Gomez did, however, forewarn me that the weather could be a factor in what actually might be accomplished on this expedition, because the Nassau Flying Club, "the voice of private aviation in the Bahamas" emphasizes safe flying and organization while enjoying their hobby. If I were not a Columbus buff, chances are I would be writing a very negative story about the events of October 20-23, 1989. A back injury forced my wife, Penny, to cancel out the day before we were to leave. Then, a long delayed and almost canceled Bahamian Airlines flight out of Philadelphia International on October 20 was a portent of other difficulties I was to encounter on this enterprise. Finally, I arrived in Nassau late on October 20, with only enough time to take in the last five or ten minutes of the pre-trip reception--having had a close call in the cab from the airport because of the slightly intoxicated state of the cab driver. But didn't Columbus run into six years of delays in Spain before he embarked in 1492? Wasn't his first voyage delayed in the Canaries because of problems with the rudder of the Pinta? Wasn't the first voyage almost prematurely aborted because of a doubting crew? I was able, therefore, to put all the delays and problems in perspective by looking at the events through the eyes of Columbus. On the morning of October 21, the decision whether or not to fly was to be made based on weather conditions. When I retired the night before, the wind was unusually strong and the clouds were heavy--yet I was optimistic. At the Nassau Airport, where the more than 90 participants gathered at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, October 21st, the organizers decided to postpone the departure because of weather conditions near San Salvador. We would be in a holding pattern for several hours. Then, after a picnic-style Burger King "catered" lunch on the airport grounds, the bad news was reported: we would leave momentarily (now almost 6 hours behind schedule) for Long Island. The planned stop-over at San Salvador had to be canceled. Joe Laufer's dream would have to wait for another time. Still, the eternal optimist in me reflected that I would be one in a million who had ever visited Columbus' Fernandina--and I would participate in an historic moment, because we would be dedicating a new landing monument to Columbus. It was still all worthwhile. Not one to easily give up on goals, I kept my hopes alive for some "miracle" which might still get me to San Salvador. One of life's rewards for enduring tragedies is that people are brought together in adversity. The six or more hour delay at the Nassau Airport gave me an opportunity to meet some of the finest people in the Bahamas. I had met Jose and Barbara Gomez the night before, and had discovered a couple who, like myself, had become captives of the Columbus mystique. Jose is a master planner--and as much as I was disappointed by nature's wrath on that morning, I felt especially sorry for Jose, who had put so much of himself into this event. However, he continued to exhibit a very positive and upbeat attitude which tended to buoy us all up during the delays and changes in plans. I got to know Paul Bauer, Editor of Encounter '92, an excellent Bahamian Quincentenary publication which had been the source of much information for me and my colleagues in the United States. Paul and his son, Bobby, were to spend many hours with me during the Fly-Out and I learned much about the Bahamas from them. Beverly Brice and Jan Hardy were to be co-passengers with me both coming and going, and they were a delight to be with throughout the Fly-Out. I had the opportunity to chat with the ebullient Carol Boyd-Hallet, former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, so highly respected by the Bahamians. Ms. Hallet was recently nominated as U.S. Director of Customs by President Bush. Dr. Davidson Hepburn, executive director of the Bahamas Quincentennial Commission was a cordial host who did much to "entertain the troops" throughout the expedition. Then there was my pilot, Steve Wrinkle and his wife Gail. More about them when we get to the latter part of the Fly-Out. The long wait was to be rewarded the moment we were airborne. What a sight to behold when you look down on the waters and islands of the Bahamas from a small airplane! We helped Steve with the answers to his contest questions; in retrospect, I think we gave him a few bad answers. Our flight plan took us over the string of cays or small islands which form the rim of the Great Bahama Bank--a line which extends southeast from Providence Island to Long Island. The string intersects the 24 degree latitude line about two degrees west of San Salvador Island. It is impossible to accurately describe the beauty of the green, blue and turquoise waters below us. It is easy to see why historians and archaeologists are confused about exactly where Columbus landed when you fly over the myriad islands of the Bahamas. Our flight was not without turbulence and a moment or two of apprehension, although we had unbounded faith in our experienced and highly rated pilot. I learned about the primitive communications system which still exists in the Bahamas, and how even experienced pilots can be thrown off course on a cloudy day with unusual winds. Eventually we spotted Long Island and the Stella Maris airport. Wind shear was a factor at the airport, but Steve brought us down beautifully. We watched as the other planes overcame the perils of the wind shear and gasped a sigh of relief and broke out in applause when the final pilot landed. We were greeted at the airport by Philip Smith, Member of the Bahamian Parliament representing San Salvador and portions of Long Island and by the Acting Governor-General of the Bahamas, Sir Henry Taylor. We were given a V.I.P. welcome at the airport and presented with a unique "Columbus Island Punch" (rum and lime) and a piece of sugar cane to chew on. We were transported to the beautiful Stella Maris Inn, where there are no locks on the doors and where you experience life on an oasis of luxury which Columbus could never have dreamed of when he landed here in 1492. My first order of business was to take a meditative walk along the beach where Columbus surely had walked. I must have spent over an hour of ecstasy on this beautiful Bahamian beach--alone with the ocean and the spirit of Columbus. It is impossible to convey the meaning of this part of the trip--but it was indeed one of the most significant moments of the Fly-Out for me. The main event on Long Island was to be the Sunday morning dedication of a monument to Columbus and the original Lucayan settlers of the island they called Yuma. Once again we experienced an unexplained major transportation delay which actually held up the dedication ceremony for several hours. When the scheduled buses failed to arrive, the Fly-Out participants boarded open trucks and were transported to the end of the island for a long trek on foot up a hill over a recently excavated dirt road. Once again, the optimist in me chalked this one up as an experience similar to the early explorers who had to investigate the island on foot. Located on a 100-foot cliff overlooking stormy Cape Santa Maria at the northern tip of Long Island, the 18.5 foot monument commands a spectacular view of the waters traveled by Columbus almost five centuries ago. It was built by the Long Islanders Association, a civic group, and is expected to become a major tourist attraction. An inscription says the monument is dedicated to "the gentle, peaceful and happy aboriginal people of Long Island, the Lucayans, and to the arrival of Christopher Columbus on October 17, 1492." As Paul Bauer and I approached the crest of the hill, we encountered a throng of people already gathered for the dedication ceremony. They had been waiting in the hot sun for almost two hours. Almost the entire population of the island came out for the event. It was their event, yet they waited for the Fly-Out participants to arrive before starting the ceremony. I was impressed by the fact that many elderly people had climbed the hill for the ceremony, as did the school children who were to be active participants. Government officials made their speeches and the children sang. The ceremony included scripture readings and hymns--and resembled more a Sunday morning church service than a civic event. The monument was blessed and unveiled by Episcopalian Father Ervin Knowles. School children were assigned to the several flag poles which surrounded the monument and at the appropriate moment raised the flags of various nations. Prominent among the flags was the American stars and stripes. This was not just a visit to Long Island. I was involved in an historic moment--the dedication of the first monument on Fernandina commemorating an event which took place 497 years ago. The monument would be visited by many people in the years ahead-- especially in 1992. I was there when it was dedicated! According to his log, Columbus landed on San Salvador (Guanahani) on October 12. Two days later he sailed on to Rum Cay (which he named Santa Maria de la Concepcion) and then landed at Long Island (which he named Fernandina) on October 17. The following day he arrived at Crooked Island (Samoete) which he named Isabela. On October 24 he left Isabela arriving in the Ragged Islands the next day. At sunrise on Saturday, October 27, Columbus left the Bahamas for Cuba. The ceremonies completed, our party walked down the hill to the waiting open truck and returned to the Stella Maris Inn. Our afternoon was planned, and the buses arrived for our "Encounter with Yuma" tour which was led by a long-time American resident named John McKie. The tour included visits to the caves at Carlton once used by the Lucayans and a nearby church that is reputed to have been built by early Spanish settlers at Long Island. The tour ended at Salt Pond, site of the annual Long Island Regatta, where local handicrafts were on sale, and we had the opportunity to meet the island's foremost straw crafter, Ivy Simms. The day ended with a delightful banquet at the Stella Maris Inn, which is a large European-owned resort and residential complex. The unique island entertainment consisted of a visit to the famous "Out Islands Cave" with open fires, hearty food and rake n' scrape music. It was at the end of the evening that I learned that special arrangements were being made to transport me to San Salvador the following day, while the remaining members of the expedition would return directly to Nassau. This is when I came to a full realization of how truly gracious my Bahamian hosts had been. The organizers, knowing how important a visit to San Salvador was to me, asked Steve Wrinkle and his wife Gale to take me to this historic site. Bev Brice and Jan Hardy agreed to make the side trip, as did Brent Malone, a Bahamian Artist who had not yet visited San Salvador. The following morning, Monday, October 23, 1989, we were carted off to the air strip and departed in sequence with the other planes. However, ours was to be the single plane flying to a different destination. Steve circled around San Salvador giving me the opportunity to get a birds-eye view of the "large lake in the middle", as described by Columbus. We got a good view of the Long Bay landing site from the air. History was coming alive before my very eyes. The tiny airstrip received our plane and Steve taxied up to the terminal (about the size of a two-car garage). Here we were welcomed by a customs agent and a taxi driver. The island seems eerily deserted. It only took a few minutes to arrive at the municipal complex where arrangements were made for us to visit the recently dedicated Columbus Museum and the landing monument at Long Bay. Civic officials and Kiwanis Club members were hastily gathered, and within less than half an hour we were the focus of attention on the Island. I owe a lot to Steve Wrinkle for going out of his way to have the official welcome mat laid out for me on San Salvador. Within minutes we were joined by Dr. Donald Gerace, Executive Director of the Bahamian Field Station, and off we were on the V.I.P. tour. The San Salvadorans are especially proud of the recently refurbished island jailhouse. It is now the Columbus museum. On the first floor are artifacts and dioramas which proclaim the Discovery of America at San Salvador. On the second floor are displays more directly related to the later local history of the Island. I had the good fortune of meeting a transplanted fellow New Jerseyan by the name of Steve Morgan. He has volunteered his services through the Kiwanis Club to get the island ready for 1992. He took me around in his pickup truck. We visited the Post Office, where I picked up a Quincentenary stamp poster, and then we stopped at a souvenir shop in Cockburntown. Steve then took me to the "lake in the center of the island" and then we joined the others for an impromptu ceremony at the Columbus Landing Monument at Long Bay. Here, thanks to the efforts of Steve Wrinkle, I was presented with an original painting of Lucayan Indians as they first sighted the ships of Columbus in the distance. The painting, by Malcolm, is entitled "The Beginning of the End of the New". I had the essential photo taken--on the landing beach, with the monument in the foreground. There I was--standing on the very beach where Columbus stood on the morning of October 12, 1492! Never mind that there are nine or ten other contenders for this historic spot--the symbolism of the first Bahamian landfall was enough to satisfy my historic sense. Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to stand on the beaches of the other ten--but for now I was where Columbus was purported to have landed--at least in the opinion of Samuel Eliot Morison, Mauricio Obregon, Pedro Grau Triana, Paolo Emilio Taviani and a host of others--and, for purposes of the Quincentenary, endorsed by the international conference of quincentennial commissions. Our time was running out--so we had another photo taken at the Mexican Olympic monument adjacent to the Wolper white cross monument. There's a third monument--a marble dove on a pedestal--between the two others. We were fortunate that the international flags were still flying--they were raised in anticipation of the aborted Fly-Out visit scheduled for the previous Saturday. There is yet a fourth monument on the island, which we did not visit--which was erected at an unlikely landing site by the Chicago Herald in 1891. Don Gerace orchestrated a quick visit to an observation deck at the former U.S. Naval Base on the Island. Here we had an excellent panoramic view of the interconnected lakes which fill the interior of the island--a strong case for the San Salvador landfall, because the reality complies so well with the description in the Columbus Log. We then went to an island luncheonette for a quick hamburger and some discussion of Island lore and the landfall theories. It was time to return to the air strip for the return trip to Nassau, as I had a 4:00 p.m. flight back to Philadelphia. We thanked everyone for their San Salvadorian hospitality and after a quick stop at the Riding Rock Inn, we headed to the airstrip and on to Nassau. It is hard to describe the exhilaration I felt on that short flight back over Bahamian waters. I had attained a dream. I had completed the circle. Two years ago, almost to the day, I had stood at the Columbus monument in Huelva, near Palos, Spain, the embarkation point of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. And now, I had stood at the landing monument in San Salvador. In between I had been to La Rabida, that monastery in Palos so dear to Columbus. All that remains to be done now is to sail aboard a caravel between the two points. Based on the way things have gone so far, that dream doesn't seem as far fetched anymore! EPILOGUE For someone interested in Christopher Columbus, a visit to the out islands of the Bahamas is extremely valuable in order to gain a richer historical and geographic perspective. First of all, in the light of Columbus' expectations--a rich and civilized India--the reality of the Bahamian landfall must have been quite a disappointment. Both Long Island and San Salvador have few of the natural resources of our well-developed North American communities. One wonders how even the pre-Columbian Lucayans survived on these Islands. For those confused about the various landfall theories, a visit to the Bahamas helps put that controversy in perspective. When you realize that Columbus only spent 15 days in the Bahamas and then virtually abandoned them, you can understand why more vivid descriptions of the islands and their inhabitants did not survive. History tells us that the Spaniards never colonized these islands--and if anything, spent the years between 1500 and 1520 carting off the entire population of the Bahamas, probably about 20,000 Lucayan indians. Except for records of Spanish ships passing through the Bahamas, they had no "history" until 156 years after Columbus when in 1648 the Bahamas became a Charter Colony of England. This is one of the ironies of history--how one of its major turning points took place in an obscure and insignificant place; a place that really isn't known with absolute certainty. Further, because of the dramatic and abrupt societal change that took place with the arrival of the Europeans, it is difficult to assess what might have happened had the discovery been delayed, say 50 or 100 years. There are those who say that the Lucayan civilization may have been swallowed up by the Carib invasions and that they would have perished anyway. There are others who say that the "paradise" of the Bahamas was far from the ideal life we fantasize--and that the Lucayans of the Bahamas would have soon abandoned them for a better life elsewhere out of necessity. Sailing the waters, flying over them, walking through these islands, and meeting their current inhabitants, you gain an entirely new perspective on history. You come up with some answers, but more than anything, you are perplexed by an even greater number of questions. My encounter with Yuma and Guanahani were important milestones in my education and will help me experience the Quincentenary with greater understanding, curiosity and respect. COLUMBUS ORIGINS On October 14, 1989, several dozen people from the Washington, D.C. area gathered to hear six speakers discuss the various theories about the origins of Columbus. This all-day seminar, held at the Patomic Boat Club in the Georgetown area of Washington, was an ambitious effort sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Society of Washington, D.C. under the capable direction of President Daniel Koski-Karell and Vice President Dr. Irving M. Sorkin. The distinguished speakers covered the theories of Columbus' Portuguese, Catalonian, Italian, Greek, and Judaic origins. If the proceedings of this symposium were to be published, we would have in one place a very comprehensive overview of the evidence for each of the theories. It is impossible to do justice to the presentations in a brief summary, so we shall simply present the highlights of each of them. Dr. Manuel da Silva delivered a lively defense of the Portuguese origins of Columbus, using slides and his published booklet on the subject. Dr. da Silva is a Rhode Island medical doctor who has been very active in Portuguese affairs in the United States. He is founder and past President of the Portuguese American Federation and has been honored by Portugal with the Decoration of Prince Henry the Navigator. He relied heavily on the controversial work of Augusto Mascarenhas Barreto, the Portuguese author who, in 1988, published a book entitled "The Portuguese Christopher Columbus: Secret Agent of King John II." Dr. da Silva supports his thesis by discussing the mysterious Columbus Sigla (or cipher), comparative physiognomy, the use of Portuguese names in the geography of the New World and by the clever superimposition of a 1424 nautical chart over the map of North America to demonstrate how the true Antilles are Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It is difficult to summarize what Dr. da Silva has written in his 32 page booklet "Columbus was 100% Portuguese!", but his work is certain to enliven any conversation about the origins of Christopher Columbus. Professor Charles Merrill of the Department of Foreign Languages at Mount Saint Mary's College, Maryland presented the case for the Catalonian origins of Columbus, contending that he was born in Tarroza, Spain. His was, by far, the most scholarly presentation at the symposium. Professor Merrill first discussed the various forms of the name of Columbus and concludes that his real name was Catalan. He then demonstrated how a great number of Columbus' close associates and protectors were Catalonians. He dealt with the question of the "cover up" of his Catalonian origins by Columbus, focusing on political considerations. He touched on linguistic, toponymic, heraldic, religious and paleographic evidence to support his thesis the Columbus was born and bred a Catalan in Tarroja de la Segarra. Because of Italian-American celebrations in the Washington, D.C. area honoring Christopher Columbus at the time of the symposium, a proponent of Columbus' Genoese origins from the National Italian-American Foundation was unable to make a presentation. Instead, symposium coordinator Daniel Koski-Karell read supporting evidence from Columbus biographies by Granzotto and Morison. While the traditional theory was presented, there were better English language resources available for this purpose. I would have recommended an excerpt from Paolo Emilio Taviani's "Christopher Columbus: The Grand Design". Ruth Durlacher Wolper was invited to present her thesis that Christopher Columbus was of Greek extraction born on the Island of Chios, in the Mediterranean. However, ill health prevented her from making the presentation in person. Instead, Mr. Koski-Karell read her paper on the subject. Ms. Wolper's starting point is the fact that Chios was under Genoese sovereignty from 1346 through 1566. Therefore, references to Columbus' Genoese origins do not preclude his being born on Chios. She stresses how the old Byzantine aristocracy and the new aristocracy of Genoese families have been intermarried for over 600 years since the Genoese overtook Chios. Columbus knew much about the mastic of Chios and he referred to it when describing trees in the New World. She uses linguistic references, such as the Greek meaning of "Colon" as "member", and quotes Columbus's son, Ferdinand, as indicating that this was significant, as Columbus wanted people to know that he was a "member of Christ". She also cites an interesting document known as "Ex Libris Borrome" which uncovers evidence of document tampering to disguise the facts of the true origins of Columbus. Dr. Irving M. Sorkin presented a lengthy defense of the "Spanish-Marano-Judaic Religious Background of Columbus". Calling upon the already publicized theories of Salvador de Madariaga, M. Kayserling, Brother Nectario, and Simon Wiesenthal, Dr. Sorkin laid out a series of "proofs" of Columbus' Jewishness, namely: his secrecy, the fact that he never wrote in Italian, his extensive Jewish associations, his knowledge of the Old Testament, his use of Jewish phrases and references, his last will and testament, his use of the "beit-hay", rumors in his time, his family name, the opening of his Journal, his mystical signature, and his delayed departure. He concluded, therefore, that Columbus was a member of a Jewish family of so-called "Conversos". Joseph M. Laufer, President of the International Columbian Quincentenary Alliance, Inc., was responsible for doing a "wrap-up" at the end of the symposium, and chose as his topic "The Multi-Ethnic Columbus: His Catholicism and His Franciscanism". By stressing all of the influences on Columbus: the Portuguese, Greek, Spanish, Italian and Jewish, he focused on the fact that beyond whatever national roots he may have possessed, Columbus reflected two very important influences on his character--Catholicism and Franciscanism. As evidence of these influences, Laufer discussed such topics as Columbus' personal morality, his reference to the Eucharist and the Mass, his recitation of the Divine Office, his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, his devotion to certain Saints, his membership in the Third Order of St. Francis, his familiarity with the Catholic Bible, his view of "Divine Providence", his personal "mysticism", his Missionary zeal and his desire to free the Holy Land from the Moors. In his conclusion, Mr. Laufer referred to all of the presentations of the day and reflected that the Quincentenary affords an opportunity to stress the multi-ethnicity of Columbus. Rather than dividing Columbus aficionados, the ambiguity of the evidence should unite us in the understanding that the efforts of the multi-ethnic Columbus brought about that uniquely American phenomenon we call the "melting pot". SHORT TAKES QUINCENTENNIAL PUNCH During the "Discovery Fly-Out" in the Bahamas, participants were treated to Quincentennial Punch. William Wong, Marketing Director of Aquapure said that the company decided to formulate a commemorative soft drink to add to their line of popular flavors. The product comes in a can design in the colors of the Bahamian flag and bears the official logo of the Bahamian Quincentenary depicting the encounter of three worlds and the words "San Salvador, 1492-1992, Discovery of the New World". Aquapure will also be the Official Soft Drink of Bahamasair, and will promote the Quincentenary in its promotions. COLUMBUS CELEBRATION CENTER The sight of the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair may become the Christopher Columbus Celebration Center if plans set in motion by William Rolen, principal and partner in the Knoxville-based World Pavilion Partnership materialize. Rolen has been negotiating with the U.S. Christopher Columbus Jubilee Commission and with potential corporate sponsors to have the site designated as a national exhibit center from October, 1990 through December, 1993. According to Rolen, the renovated U.S. Pavilion would have silken sails rising from it, and those visiting it would feel they were on the deck of one of Christopher Columbus' exploring vessels. The center would become an information and celebration center and would provide the U.S. with a focal point for the Quincentenary celebration. CORPORATE INTEREST IN THE QUINCENTENARY GROWS Texaco and Sears are gambling on the Quincentenary. John Goudie, chairman of the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission announced last Fall that Texaco, Inc. is the founding sponsor of Quincentenary events. Texaco will be represented at major Quincentenary events, most notably the touring of the replicas of Columbus' three ships that are currently being constructed and outfitted in Spain. Alfred DeCrane, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Texaco, Inc. said that by sponsoring the replicas, "we at Texaco want to help inspire the spirit of adventure, discovery and achievement in the millions of people who see them and tour them." In a similar vein, a recent premium promotion from Sears, Roebuck & Co. targeted at Hispanic Americans by offering a popular custom-designed poster set commemorating the Quincentennial. Sears commissioned historians to create the poster set called "The Era of Exploration: An Hispanic History 1400-1600". The set contains a reproduction of "The Barcelona Letter of 1493"--Columbus' post-exploration report to the Spanish royal court. The original campaign was limited to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida. In October of 1990, Sears plans to relaunch the promotion in northern states with large Hispanic populations such as New York, Illinois and New Jersey. FIRST ENCOUNTERS DROPS ANCHOR AT MOSI The colonization of the Caribbean and the United States is highlighted in "First Encounters", the exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa, Florida now underway through April 8, 1990. The MOSI stop in Tampa is the first on a 10-city nationwide tour of this exhibit. Designed and built by the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, First Encounters is the first major traveling exhibit devoted entirely to Spanish contact with the Americas. Within the 4,200 sq. ft. display, a two-thirds scale model bow of Columbus' ship, the Nina, is featured. Over 500 Spanish and aboriginal artifacts from collections throughout the country are highlighted along with armor and weapons representing the different exploration periods. Unfortunately, the opening was marred by protests by Native Americans who felt that it unduly glorified the Hispanic Conquest and was an insult to the Native Americans who were enslaved and exploited by the Conquistadores. Among the protesters was American Indian activist Russell Means, who decries the fact that "not one Native American was consulted before this exhibit was produced." He sought an injunction that would prevent the exhibit from opening. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DOLL The Bahamas National Trust and the Bahamas Historical Society have sanctioned an official Christopher Columbus doll handcrafted by Bahamian Doll Maker, Lady Ingrid Darling. Each 13" doll is historically accurate to the tiniest detail and has been reproduced to recapture the landing of Columbus on San Salvador. In fact, the base includes actual sand from Landfall Beach on San Salvador. The original issue price of this world-wide special edition of 5,000 Columbus dolls is $100, with a portion of the proceeds going to the sanctioning organizations. Each is accompanied by a signed and carefully numbered Certificate of Authenticity as well as a display case. The ICQA has been designated as an American distributor for the dolls. Order forms may be obtained by writing to ICQA headquarters, Box 1492, Columbus, NJ 08022. COLUMBUS DATA BASE UP AND RUNNING Dr. Tom Tirado at Millersville University, Lancaster, PA announces that the CIRS Columbus Data Base is operational. We at I.C.Q.A. headquarters have been snooping around in the data base. Several of our earlier newsletters are already on line, as is our bibliography and some articles by Editor/Publisher Joseph Laufer. This joint project with Millersville and the I.C.Q.A. is a major contribution to the Quincentenary effort and will benefit researchers and Quincentennial activities planners. Once you dial into the system and connect via modem, you are introduced to a 22-item menu from which to list, search or browse. The menu items include Archeology, Anthropology, Articles, Bibliographies, Chronologies, Economics, Fine Arts, Geography, Graphics, Photos and Maps, History, Interviews, Literature, Lists, Letters, Newsletters, Notes on books and articles, Periodicals and Journals, Physical Sciences, Reviews, Sociology, Speech and Conference papers and Surveys. This Computerized Information Retrieval System on Columbus and the Age of Discovery is available through Millersville University on both an Individual and an Institutional subscription basis. For further information, contact Dr. Thomas Tirado, Director, CIRS- Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551-0302. U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Elaine Peden of Philadelphia, PA is leading a national campaign to have honorary U.S. citizenship conferred on Christopher Columbus in time for the Quincentenary. Peden has lined up Rep. Thomas M. Foglietta (D. PA) to introduce the citizenship resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives, while Sen. Alfonse M. D'Amato (R. NY) will introduce a similar resolution in the Senate. She is circulating petitions in the hope of obtaining twenty thousand names of supporters of the resolution to submit to Congress. If Christopher Columbus is so honored, he would be only the fifth person to have such an honor. The others are Winston Churchill, Raoul Wallenberg, William Penn and his wife Hannah. Petitions are available through the I.C.Q.A. Information Services Department PHILADELPHIA MUMMERS HONEYMOON MIRALDA PROJECT "Discovery Five Hundred" reported extensively in the April 1989 issue about the Columbus/Liberty Honeymoon Miralda Project. The most recent event in the project almost didn't happen because of a dispute between the planners of the Philadelphia New Year's Day Mummers Parade and Miralda over where the Liberty Bell Cape should be positioned in the parade. Miralda ultimately withdrew from participation in the parade and elected to have the cape hung in the Philadelphia Art Museum without first being paraded through the city. The cape may yet take a trip down Broad Street--in the Columbus Day parade in October. Miralda wanted the cape as the centerpiece of the parade, while parade planners wanted it at the end. Miralda said that under those arrangements, the cape would make its way down Broad St. in darkness, after the grand finale of the popular String Bands. The parade planners said they never agreed to the mid-parade position, and became concerned when Miralda couldn't produce enough volunteers to carry the cape. They didn't want to risk holding up the parade because of possible problems with the cape. On January 12, 1990, when the Philadelphia Museum of Art opened its doors, the mammoth Mummers cape hung in the museum's place of honor--the Grand Staircase rising up from the entrance overlooking the Parkway. The Liberty Bell-shaped cape was a contribution to the project by the city of Brotherly Love, the city where Liberty was born. The cape is 100 feet by 65 feet. It stretches longer than six Philly rowhouses. It has a blue- feathered yoke, yellow acrylic fur and a glittery patchwork of sequin-stitched satin squares contributed by 35 Mummers clubs of Philadelphia and New Jersey. The squares, in vibrant fuchsia, turquoises and violets, lie atop a background of iridescent gray with thousands of shimmering threads of pink and silver to sparkle in the light cast by a thousand tiny light bulbs powered by the cape's own power generator. Bells trim the edges. The cape's clapper, in pink, is embroidered with the names of all the Mummers clubs that contributed to the project. Even the lining of the cape has a Liberty Bell theme. Shortly after World War I, dozens of servicemen crowded together to pose in the shape of the Liberty Bell. Miralda had the photograph silkscreened onto yards and yards of gray ripstop nylon. HISTORIC TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY Join the I.C.Q.A. in an educational travel adventure through the Spain of Columbus. The basic trip begins August 6, 1990 with a seven-night package which includes Madrid, Seville and Malaga, with side trips to Segovia, Palos, Moguer, Huelva, Granada and Cadiz--all associated with the Enterprise of Columbus. Visit the Naval Museum, the Archive of the Indies, La Rabida Monastery, the Columbus Embarkation Statue and meet with the organizers of Expo '92. The basic trip concludes with two relaxing nights on the Costa del Sol. If you choose Plan B, two nights in Barcelona are added; or expand to Plan C for an additional five nights in the Canary Islands. Your Columbus Adventure will include pre-trip learning packets and an opportunity for seminars on Columbus and the Quincentenary before, during and after the tour. Send for "The Columbus Trail" brochure for a detailed itinerary and price information. Joseph M. Laufer, Editor and Publisher of "Discovery Five Hundred" will be your tour guide on this exciting pre-Quincentenary travel adventure. The trip has been organized through the cooperation of the I.C.Q.A., Iberia Airlines, Rainbow Spotlight Tours and Central de Viajes of Spain. NEXT ISSUE The April issue of Discovery Five Hundred will contain several special features: The Columbus Bell - Tucked away in a small museum in Millville, New Jersey, is a bell that is purported to have been on one of Christopher Columbus' ships. You'll see a photo of the bell, read about its interesting history, and how it was hidden from the planners of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition out of fear that it might be confiscated by the government. The Landfall Debates - Last fall there were several debates on the Columbus landfall. Discovery Five Hundred attended the debates and has prepared a summary of the major arguments. You'll read interesting information about the theories of Arne Molander (the Northern Route/Egg Island), Joseph Judge (Samana Cay), Robert Power (Grand Turk), Mauricio Obregon (Watlings/San Salvador), Doug Peck (Watlings/San Salvador), and the newest theory proposed by John Hathaway Winslow: Lignum Vitae Cay, far to the north of the other most-accepted sites.