12. Predicting God’s Wrath to Bluff the Natives Into Obedience
Columbus informed the Natives that his furious God would demonstrate His anger three nights hence by turning the moon blood red – “inflamed with wrath“, as Columbus put it. He would then blot it out as a harbinger of the calamities He was about to unleash upon the indigenous peoples. They did not believe him, and laughed off the dire warnings. They stopped laughing when what they had dismissed as fiction turned into fact. On the night of February 29th, 1504, just as Columbus’ had told them, the moon turned red and began to disappear. As recounted by Columbus’ son, the terrified Natives: “with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions and beseeching the admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf“. They promised to cooperate if Columbus restored the moon back the way it was.
