Christopher Columbus - From Letter to Luis de Santangel and Isabella & Christopher Columbus From Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Questions? 1. In his "Letter to Luis de Santangel," Columbus declares that he has "taken possession" of the islands for "their highnesses" Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. What procedures does Columbus follow in order to take possession? 2. What kind of attitude toward the native inhabitants' rights underlies the ritual of possession that Columbus employed?

Columbus takes possession of the islands through "proclamation and display of the Royal Standard without opposition". For Columbus, merely claiming the lands suffices if it is done in the name of the Kings of Spain. He says there was no "opposition", but there hardly could have been since the natives did not understand what Columbus was doing. Columbus evidently does not believe that the inhabitants of these islands have any rights, since he does not consult whether they are willing to enter the dominion of the Kings of Spain, nor does he ask about their own political organization.