Old World Discoveries
Soon after arriving in Lisbon, Becca and I set out to investigate the neighborhood where we were staying. Drawn to a street showcasing colorful nineteenth-century mansions, we stumbled upon Jardim do Torel, a multi-layered park with benches surrounding a sweet fountain, a shady green space boasting spectacular views over Lisbon, sprawling patios, a circular pool holding refreshing blue water, and medieval steps leading down to the lower streets. It was a marvelous discovery, and we find ourselves returning to these grounds each morning and most afternoons.
The park serves the neighborhood very well. In the morning dog owners bring their furry companions to frolic with other dogs. When the weather turns hot, young people laze around the pool to sunbathe. Each evening the grassy slope is filled with families and friends watching the sunset. Below the expansive series of patios is an elementary school, where children can often be seen playing football in their makeshift fields. Both of us are thrilled by our discovery, as it gives us a tiny insight into the community where we find ourselves.
But I use the term “discovery” loosely. The people in the Pena neighborhood have known about this park long before we dreamed about traveling around the Iberian Peninsula. Today, we ventured out to another neighborhood, Belem, a waterfront region where the Portuguese explorations of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are celebrated. The Portuguese, like the Spanish, English, French and Dutch, also made their discoveries. They came upon wondrous worlds they did not even imagine existed.
Throughout many weeks of travel, we have repeatedly been exposed to the much-celebrated discoveries by Spanish and Portuguese sailors who courageously sailed into unknown waters, and by doing so brought untold wealth back to their patron nations. And there lies the rub, and a very big rub at that. Over the past two months, we’ve stood inside cathedral after cathedral, where the gold and silver taken from the Aztecs and Inca were plastered all over Catholic icons. We cannot begin count the number of eye-popping palaces lining elegant streets we’ve seen during our travels. These displays of wealth draw millions of tourists and their money to Spain and Portugal each year, with little mention about the horrific exploitation of the people who actually lived in these “discovered” lands. Tragically, none of that tourist money goes back to the regions whose natural and human resources created such wealth.
I guess if we had a lot of money or a large arsenal of weapons, Becca and I could claim Jardim do Torel as our own. We could banish the locals who now thrive in this park, allowing us to have exclusive control over its grounds and make a sizable profit by charging a hefty entry fee. But we don’t’ have a lot of money or own any weapons. And even if we did, I don’t think either one of us would use our money or might to disrupt the tender harmony we’ve stumbled upon. We just count our blessings that this neighborhood is willing to share their small slice of paradise with a couple of “New World” tourists.
What a different world we would have today if the Portuguese had greeted the Africans they “discovered” with awe, rather than enslavement. How would our “New World” look today had the Spanish engaged the people of the Americas as equals, instead of stealing their wealth, destroying their cities, and cramming a foreign religion down their throats. Of course, I’ve studied enough history to understand the historical forces that made such meetings as highly unlikely. But it would be nice for people to learn to tread lightly in places that are unfamiliar to them, to act as guests rather than conquerors. In the end, both the Portuguese and the Spanish squandered their stolen wealth, leaving behind a legacy of unchecked greed and ravaged lands. Sadly, these lessons have yet to gain traction among world governments, as the cycle of exploitation goes on and on.