On February 19, Columbus dispatched half his crew ashore at Santa María, Azores, to fulfill a vow made during the storm for a pilgrimage—barefoot and without pants—to the first church they found dedicated to the Virgin Mary. But the locals, subjects of Portugal’s King John II, restrained these men, suspecting the Niña had been poaching in King John’s African possessions. Columbus was unable to negotiate his men’s release until February 22.
While they waited the sailors’ release, the ten Taínos aboard likely honored their own spirits for salvation from the storm, including the two powerful female spirits Attabeira and Guabancex. Attabeira was mother to Yúcahu, the most important spirit in daily life (see October 9 for Yúcahu’s image), and herself the provider of water for crops and other nourishment, a generous, protective spirit, analogous to the Virgin Mary. Guabancex was the female spirit of hurricanes and destruction. The Taínos would have honored Attabeira for her protection and Guabancex for her forbearance. Encounters Unforeseen contains illustrations of both spirits, including the following of Attabeira, bearing child:
