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European Motivation for Exploration

Challenge the Wind by Christine Echeverria Bender
Boise:  Writer's Press, 2000

    Can you imagine the anticipation, fear and excitement felt by the crew of the Pinta, Niña and Santa Maria as they set sail to discover a westward route to the riches of the Indies?  It is a voyage that changed the world, but in ways that in many ways proved much different than Christopher Columbus anticipated when he persuaded King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella of Castile to sponsor his epic voyage.
    We experience all of these emotions through the eyes of Domingo Laca, an inexperienced, young Basque sailor who eagerly anticipates and appreciates this opportunity to sail into history.  When he learns his father Aitor may give him permission to go, Bender writes Domingo "sprang from his seat and danced around the room.  He was going across the ocean with his father, Diego, and De La Cosa.  Their adventures would be something to tell his grandchildren about.  He was going to sail to the Western seas!"
    Challenge the Wind provides interesting insights into the motivations and objectives behind this remarkable journey.  While seeking a shorter route to the riches of the Indies was a key objective, Bender writes, "it is not just about the wealth of the Indies that the Queen is after.  She is fiercely religious, as you know.  She has made it clear that she plans to spread the Catholic faith to the people of the East."  Meanwhile, Queen Isabella agrees "Columbus would bear the title of Admiral of the ocean seas, and Governor of any new lands he claimed for the Crown."
    While Domingo, many of the sailors, and the individual Taino's are all fictional, Bender uses them effectively to convey the ambivalence many of the actual participants probably felt towards the collision of cultures and the voyage itself.  One wonders if any of them fully appreciated the historic chain of events set in motion by their remarkable journey.      

Comment
     Idaho readers will find the emphasis on the role Basque sailors, including Domingo, played in the voyage particularly interesting in light of the many people of Basque heritage who live in Idaho. 
    The story is told not only from the perspective of Christopher Columbus and his crew, but also from the viewpoint of the Tainos, the native island people Columbus first encountered when he reached the Caribbean islands.  Sadly, for the Tainos, it is an encounter that ultimately leads to their extermination. 
    The book is well researched, and teachers and students who are interested in learning more will appreciate Bender's list of sources.  The book also includes several useful illustrations including maps that help readers better visualize the journey.

Reading Level:  Not available.  However, junior high and high school students should find this an easy book to read.
Interest Level:  Not available.  Young adults will enjoy this book.
361 pages

Supports the following Instructional Objectives:

Compare and contrast the impact of European exploration on the native population in the Americas

Trace the patterns and routes of European exploration in the Americas using maps, globes, and charts

Identify the European motivation for exploration in the Americas

Excerpt

    "With the food running out and this change of wind we'll never make it back to Spain.  Your lies and false navigation have doomed us all!"  This claim was taken up by many of the other men.  A few of them started pushing and shoving those who remained silent.  No one had yet bothered Domingo's small group.
    It was then that the Pinta and the Niña pulled along side the Santa Maria for their evening rendezvous.  Some of the hands from the other ships saw what was happening and began shouting to the enraged crewmembers of the flagship.
    "Silence, you me!" thundered Martin Pinzon to his own crew, and he was reluctantly obeyed.  Vicente Pinzon's men remained relatively still aboard the aboard the Niña as they watched the scene unfold around them.
    "Captain-general!"  Martin Pinzon bellowed again, this time across the stretch of water toward the mothership.  "May I be of assistance?"
    Columbus looked over at Pinzon.  "Some of my men seem to think they will never return home," Columbus responded.  The approach of the other two ships and the dominating presence of Martin Pinzon had checked the loudest members of the Santa Maria's crew enough for Columbus to be heard.
    Directing his authority toward his men once again, Columbus reproached them loudly.  "You men, where is your spirit?  You are acting like frightened children, not like seamen.  The king and queen of Spain have sent us to find the Indies, and we will continue until we have indeed found them.  Your complaining is useless.  We are sailing until we reach land!"

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