14. Birth of a Trope
There is historic evidence that Columbus actually predicted an eclipse to manipulate Natives. It birthed centuries’ worth of stories about Europeans overawing indigenous peoples with eclipse predictions. It began On June 30th, 1503, when Columbus had to beach a damaged fleet in Jamaica. The locals were initially friendly, and fed and sheltered the castaways. However, that state of affairs did not last for long. As the days turned to months, Columbus and his men began to wear out their welcome. Despite the fact that they relied upon the Natives for their sustenance, Columbus’ sailors often got grabby with the local women and molested them. They also abused the men and treated them with contempt. So the locals grew less friendly. Finally, after six months of rising tensions and tempers, Columbus’ crews mutinied, attacked their hosts, and committed various robberies and murders.
