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João Gonçalves
Zarco,
the first hero of the Portuguese discoveries!
By Manuel
Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor
July 30th, 2005
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Arial
view of the
Island
of
Porto Santo showing the airfield at the center,
the
longest of the NATO forces
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Statue of João
Gonçalves Zarco in the downtown Funchal,
Madeira |
Who
was João Gonçalves Zarco?
He
was a Portuguese Jew converted to Catholicism, and member of the House of Prince
Henry the Navigator, when this Prince became the Administrator of the Order of
Christ in Tomar, in the center of
Portugal
.
Zarco
distinguished himself as a military hero in the campaigns of
Ceuta
and Tangier and became also an expert
sailor in the Portuguese caravels in the southern part of
Portugal
and also along the north cost of
Africa
. Because of his maritime experience Prince Henry sent him together with Tristão
Vaz Teixeira to go in search of “some
islands in front of the African coast that appeared drawn
in old maps.”
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The
island
of
Porto Santo
of volcanic origin with its high mountain
as it appeared to the first discoverers in 1418.
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My
wife Sílvia sitting next to the
Porto
Santo beach with its very fine sand.
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At
the hotel next to the beach we ate a delicious barbecue accompanied with
a glass of beer for only ten
euros each. |
My
wife and I at the southern extremity of
Porto
Santo with the inhabited small island
on the background
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In
1418, João Gonçalves Zarco and his sailors took
sail along the northwestern coast of
Africa
but their caravel was caught by a storm and they were lost at the high sea for
several days, until they arrived at an unknown
island.
They
named it first Devine Spirit but
then changed its name of Porto
Santo, meaning
Salvation
Port
because it saved their lives.
After
examining the island that had no human inhabitants
they returned to Portugal and
reported the good news to their
master Prince Henry who became very
enthusiastic and asked them to go back
again in the following year in 1419. But this time they took with them another
member of Prince Henry’s House, a
fellow named Bartolomeu Perestrelo. This time
they went to colonize the new
island
of
Porto Santo
.
On
the same caravel they took a female rabbit and she delivered a board the ship
several little rabbits which they let loose when they
arrive at
Porto
Santo, with the message: “Love thyselves and multiply”.
And they did.
In a short while there were so many rabbits in the island
that they ate all the pastures
necessary for the other domestic animals.
From
the island of Porto Santo they
observed on the horizon that on
southwestern “there was always a permanent
dark cloud”, but the sailors thought that
could be smoke coming from
hell were the bad souls were
burning… or could be the place were the sea sudden dropped and
the caravels just fell into hell…
But
at the beginning of the summer, one day that was more clear, João Gonçalves
Zarco got his courage together with
his sailors and went to check that “dark cloud” and they were overwhelmed
with want they discovered. They found an island covered with vegetation and so
much wood that they named it
Madeira
which means wood in English. They thought they
had found
Paradise
!
Where was Zarco born?
Historians
are not in agreement as to where João Gonçalves Zarco was born. Some say
Tomar, other indicate
Lisbon
, and still others say Matosinhos or
Porto
. Some even show papers revealing that in the XII century
Zarco families already existed in
Portugal
even before her
Independence
in 1139. For sure there are legal documents in which the name Zarco already
appears during the
Kingdom
of
Dom Dinis
[ 1248-79 ]. This is evidence that
the name Zarco was not invented by the discover himself.
Is his name Zarco
or Zargo?
Another
battle that goes on among the historians concerns his name: should
it be Zarco with a C, of Zargo with a G.
The
old historians contemporary of the Zarco such as Gomes
Eanes de Azurara, João de Barros e Damião de Góis
always used his name Zarco with a C.
Some people say that the name Zarco came from a
legend that in the military campaign in
Ceuta
the discoverer was the only one able to kill a very strong Arab
and his name was Zarco
and after that the Portuguese soldier started
using the same Zarco. I never heard of a hero that adopted the name of his
victim. This is such a stupid legend that should never be
repeated.
But
there is another very simple thing that the historians do not reveal or they do
not know.
The
name Zarco is Jewish, but it can be also derived from the Arabic. Why?
Because the Jews lived the in the Iberian Peninsula for more than two thousand
years, in the territory that later became
Portugal
. Even today more than 50% of the
Portuguese people have Jewish blood!
On
the other hand the Arabs came to the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and they stay
there until
Granada
was taken by the Spaniards in 1492. This is total of 781 years.
In
Portugal
the Arabs lived until 1249 when King Dom Afonso III conquered
Algarve
. Therefore the Arabs were in Portuguese
territory for a total of 538. The Arabs left a large influence of their
civilization not only in names, place names but also in the Portuguese language.
We should note that the name
Algarve
is derived from the Arab = “Al –Gharb” which means “Occidental” or
sunset. The Jews also have a similar
term. They call the Portuguese
“Sephardic” which means “Occidental”.
But the first ones to call the Portuguese “Occidental” were the
Greeks with their term
”Iberos” which also means
“Occidental”.
If
we consult the Jewish dictionary we
will find out that the word “Zakhar” means
“male organ” and “Zarkor”
means “project” or
“ejaculate”. This is the reason why “Zarkor” has the same meaning as “
Colon
” in Greek! This statement is very important for the analysis of the
Columbus
’ Sigla or of Cristóvão Colon.
Zargo meaning beetle!
With
respect to the name Zargo with a Z we
should clarify that exists in Madeira island a parasite, and insect of the
Madeira’s fauna, called zargo with a G, which belongs to the species of
koleopteros among which the beetles
are the best example. “koleopteros” is
a scientific word composed by two Greek terms “Koleos” = vagina , plus
“pteron” = meaning wings, because the larvae of the
beetles look like a “vagina with
wings”…
After
this scientific explanation, I do not think it is just , nor decent, to called
the great navigator Zargo with a Z !
But
even more important for this discussion is for us to analyze the Zarco’s
signature. Where we see what looks
like a G, it is the Jewish letter K therefore with the sound o C. If the same
letter in Zarco’s signature was the
letter G, it should appear like an
inverted Y. We should note that in the Jewish alphabet there are no vowels.
Therefore we should not hesitate in declaring that the name of the navigator has
to be Zarco with the letter C.
I
hope that the people from
Madeira
will never consider their discover to be a
beetle… and use always his
correct name ZARCO with a C.
Why was Zarco a hero of the discoveries?
João
Gonsalves Zarco was the first hero of the Portuguese maritime discoveries.
It
was Zarco who made the first and most important maritime discovery: Porto Santo
and
Madeira
, representing the first great conquest of the navigators to take control of all
seas. It is really a pity that the History of
Portugal
does not give to his achievement the place it really deserves. Zarco was for
the maritime discoveries what Yuriy Gagarin, Russian, and John Glenn, American,
did for the Exploration of Outer Space. Unfortunately neither
the Portuguese Government with headquarters in Lisbon, nor
the Regional Government of Madeira have placed João Gonçalves Zarco on
a pedestal that he merits, so his example can be
shown to present and future generations.
Where in
Porto
Santo is the work that Zarco did?
My
wife and I went to
Porto
Santo on May 2005. Fascinating
island! Magnificent beach! We
asked where the house of João Gonçalves Zarco was located, but nobody could
tell us. We visited the so called “Casa do
Colombo
” – House of
Columbus--
but it does not show anything outstanding related to its discoverers. Too
bad! The historical-cultural authorities of the archipelago should use the
“Casa do
Colombo
” as a museum and show in a didactic form to the visitors, in Portuguese and
English, six dioramas:
“Casa
do
Colombo
” – The House of
Columbus
on the
Island
of
Porto Santo
dedicated to the navigator.
Unfortunately it informs the
visitors that he was born in
Genoa
!...
(1)
First
diorama should be about the
School
of
Navigation
at Sagres demonstrating that its principal objective was to find the water
route to
India
around the
Cape of Good Hope
.
(2)
The
second diorama will display the arrival of the discovers at the
Island
of
Porto Santo
with the models of the beach and of the caravel, stressing the importance of
this first discovery in the History of the World.
(3)
Third
diorama will treat the beginning of colonization with the rabbits, other
domestic animals, cereals
and even humans.
(4)
The
discovery of Madeira and the arrival of the navigators at the small island of
the Fort of São José, and how
Madeira
developed into a such fascinating community,
agriculturally and otherwise.
(5)
The
comparison of the Portuguese
discoveries with the Explorations of the Outer Space, by showing
cartography and
photos to demonstrate that the
conquest of Outer Space is the continuation of Humanity’s spirit
of discovery stimulated by the Portuguese of the XV and XVI centuries,
who became the first nation in the world to initiate the globalization that
everyone is talking about now.
(6)
And
finally one diorama describing the historic relations of Cristóvão Colon (or
Columbus) with his family members
in Porto Santo and
Madeira
.
Unfortunately
the exhibit in “Casa do
Colombo
” belittles the Portuguese maritime history and only glorifies that
Columbus
was born in
Genoa
!...
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Without
permission from the young lady that was showing us “Casa do
Colombo
”, I
obtained this photo to show
to the readers of my website the
INACCURATE Sigla
when compared with the TRUE one that is shown here at the right.
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This
is the TRUE trade mark or Sigla of Cristóvão Colon. Please note the periods
and the virgule, because all these punctuation signs are very important for us
to read correctly the name Cristóvão Colon.
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The
present exhibit in “Casa do
Colombo
” does not stress the importance of the
School
of
Navigation
at Sagres, which was the main force that gave the jump start for the
discoveries of Porto Santo and
Madeira
.
It
is in
Porto
Santo that a large museum describing the odyssey of the Portuguese discoveries
should exist. This museum should
be similar to the one that already exists at Cape Kennedy, in Florida, E. U.
A. explaining the achievements of the American astronauts, because it was from
that locale that all astronauts
lifted off into space, until they arrives on the surface of the moon and
returned safely to earth.
The present
panels inside the “Casa do
Colombo
” in
Porto
Santo only confuse the visitors. These panels should give a simple and clear
message to the visitors about the Portuguese maritime achievements,
stressing also the fact that the Portuguese discovered two thirds of the
Globe. It was with the discovery of
Porto
Santo that it all stated!
The display in “Casa do
Colombo
” pretends to be too scholastic and
does not communicate with the general public and also lacks Portuguese
patriotism. The visitors enter “Casa do
Colombo
” with great expectation, but leave with a bitter taste and a feeling of
emptiness! The local and regional authorities could do much better by
spending not too much money.
Aerial
view of Madeira as we are approaching the airport at Funchal.
On May 2005, my wife and I spent six days in
Madeira
Island. We were enchanted by its people, by the marvelous panoramas, by so many
thousands of flowers, and also by its monuments and works of art. It was
a fantastic trip!
On the last day of our stay in Madeira, we went to
the most historical place in Madeira, which is located in
Funchal
Harbor
. We visited the small island which is now called the Forte of São José da
Pontinha.
It was our guide Mr. Renato Barros (high school
teacher) who is the legal owner of this small fort. He took us to the top
platform of the fort, from where we could see on the Atlantic side, a
triangular anchor and steps carved by João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão
Vaz Teixeira, and their sailors after July 1st, 1419.
On the platform
of the Fort of São José Mr. Renato Barros, teacher and my wife Silvia,
on May 20, 2005
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Inside the rock of the small island, the first
navigators carved a shelter. Here is the owner, Renato Barros,
at the entrance of the shelter.
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Inside
of the shelter we have to use lanterns to see our way
Due to the dense forest that
Madeira
presented itself in 1419, the new discoverers, without knowing the dangers
that might existed inside the forest, they decided to build a cave inside of
this small island and therefore creating a fort with a shelter. For several
years this dock served for people to get into
Madeira
and also to leave it.
As I contemplated this triangular anchor and the
steps on this small island, my brain went all over the world to recall
small islands and famous places where man put his feet for the first time:
(1)
It
took 550 years after João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira
stepped on the triangular
anchor, for the American Neil Armstrong to put his foot on the surface of
the moon , on July 20, 1969 when
he said: “That‘s a small step for man; one giant leap
for mankind!”
(2)
79
years later, on May 20, 1498, Vasco da Gama put his feet on
Calicut
,
India
, finally realizing the dream
of Prince Henry the navigator to connect
Portugal
to
India
by sea!
(3)
81
years later, in 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral, put his feet on Porto Seguro,
at 14 degrees latitude south, when he discovered officially Brazil.
(4)
92
years later in 1511, the
navigator Miguel Corte Real engraved on
Dighton Rock
, located in Berkley,
Massachusets, U. S. A., his name, the Portuguese National symbols, and
four crosses of the Order of Christ similar to the one that appears on the
flag of Madeira.
(5)
201
years later the English Pilgrims put their feet on Plymouth Rock located in
the State of
Massachusetts
.
U. S. A.
, and this historical event originated the most celebrated holiday in
America
called “Thanksgiving”.
(6)
There
are other small islands which are famous because of the buildings they
possess. The
castle
of
Almoural
built on a small island in the middle of
Tagus
river, constructed by the Portuguese Templars after 1160.
(7)
The
Tower
of
Belém
,
Portuguese
National Monument
, was built in a small island in the
Lisbon
Harbor
, between 1515 to 1521. It has many Crosses of the Order of Christ with
extremities terminating at 45 degrees.
(8)
The
island
of
Bedloe
in the large
New York
Harbor
were the world famous and admired Statue of
Liberty
stands, since 1886.
(9)
The
Yellala Rocks engraved by Diogo Cão on the margins of the Congo River, in
Africa
, in 1448. The rock of Sao Lourenço in Sri-Lanka, engraved by Portuguese
discovers in 1518, The Padrões, or Portuguese Discovery Markers, placed
by Diogo Cão, along the western coast of Africa, and so many other
monuments in so many places by the Portuguese discoverers.
(10)
In
the City Island, in Paris, France, where the famous Notre Dame Cathedral was
built, there exist in front of it on the pavement
a cupper circumference with a diameter about three feet. It is from
this spot that all the geographic distances in
France
are measured.
Here
is the triangular anchor made out of the maritime rock by João Gonçalves
Zarco and his crew after July 1st, 1419.
On
this photo we still see the TRIANGULAR ANCHOR and the
steps carved on
the rock of the small island by the first navigators.
Conclusion:
The
triangular anchor on the Fort of São José made by João Gonçalves Zarco and
Tristão Vaz Teixeira, 586 years ago should become the geographic symbol of
the EPICENTER
OF MADEIRA, similar to the epicenter at Notre Dame of
Paris,
France
!
The
greatest mathematician Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the Geodesic Dome,
said that the TRIANGLE is the geometric figure which is the strongest on the
surface of the earth. The people of
Madeira
could not get a better icon than the TRIANGULAR
ANCHOR -- to symbolize their
excellent qualities of a people with determination to be successful in their
endeavors!
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