One of the most barbaric, gut-wrenching, yet captivating claims is the punishment for failing to comply with the tribute system. Supposedly, the Admiral, in his pursuit of gold, implemented a system which required every native of at least 14 years old to provide a hawk’s bell full of gold dust. Those who failed to deliver enough gold would have their hands chopped off, sometimes to be hung around their neck as a warning to others.

 

However, contrary to journalist Fiza Pirani’s statement that the “historical record shows” Columbus committed this atrocity, there actually exists no direct evidence from contemporary sources that he or the soldiers under his leadership did. The reason “Columbus’s son neglected to mention how the Spanish [under Columbus] … cut off their hands” (per Loewen) is because it seems to be more myth than fact.

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