Columbus wrote the letter to the treasurer of queen Izabella Spain 1493

Searching and finding new islands by Columbus and giving name to those lands is a
sign of colonialism which was a key feature of the renaissance. The people of those
lands had their own culture and language but the colonizers here Columbus treated
them as if they had nothing and they gave them names and tried to give them their
religion and teach them their language. As Edward Saeed says all the problem of
colonialism begins with the idea of calling the colonized others and themselves as
we.
The letter shows the beginning of European colonialism and imperialism over the
whole world
Two important things:
1. The exploratory soul of the renaissance man: they were explorers. They were
interested in discovering new geography and boundaries. This was an age in which
worlds new map was made and worlds modern map was introduced. Before then
the map of the world was made by Muslims in Baghdad which were very interesting.
Even the direction of North and South were vice versa in them. But in renaissance
due to the new means of navigation they were able to trespass the boundaries and
draw new maps. This is closely connected to the ideas of humanism.
2. The European imperialism first beginning in Spain and Portugal and then
culminating in England. In the letter he says they have no religion nor idolatry
except that they all believe that power and goodness to be in heaven. Apparently
this is something positive. Its like when somebody talks about the people of the
villages and says they are so simple that they are stupid. In your praise for them
you accuse them for stupidity. This is the discourse the renaissance men had. This is
the European narcissism which started in renaissance.
 The people who created such artistic work could not be something like what
Europeans described. They call themselves as we and everything they dont know
as other. This other should be discovered.