CAPITOL 1

Temps de cega, d'emergir balcells i balcells.

Time of the blind, of surfacing balcells and balcells.

De la mateixa manera que entenem l'utopia com el que no existeix en cap lloc,

Just as we understand utopia as that which does not exist anywhere,

l'eucronia és el que no existeix en cap temps.

The eucronia is what does not exist in any time.

Les trames desenvolupades en aquestes pàgines parteixen d'un punt real del passat,

The plots developed on these pages start from a real point in the past,

però introdueixen determinades variables que mai van ocórrer,

but they introduce certain variables that never occurred,

desviant la història de la seva llera fins a crear un univers paral·lel i fictici,

diverting the course of its riverbed to create a parallel and fictitious universe,

una eucronia que es troba al marge de la història i el temps.

an eucrony that is found outside of history and time.

Qualsevol similitud entre aquesta eucronia i la realitat històrica és pura casualitat.

Any similarity between this eucroia and historical reality is purely coincidental.

O no?

Oh no?

Temps de cega, d'emergir balcells i balcells.

Blind time, emerging balcells and balcells.

Preludi.

Prelude.

Agost de 1494.

August 1494.

Fortí de Santo Tomàs, la hispaniola, primer regne castellà d'índies.

Fort of Santo Tomás, Hispaniola, first Castilian kingdom of the Indies.

Bruts, suats i esbofegats de l'esforç,

Dirty, sweaty, and out of breath from the effort,

després de caminar durant quatre hores en la foscor de la nit,

after walking for four hours in the darkness of the night,

el capità Margarit i els seus homes arribaven definitivament a les portes de la gran cova,

Captain Margarit and his men were finally arriving at the gates of the great cave,

disposats a apropiar-se de la més important relíquia religiosa dels indis taínos.

ready to appropriate the most important religious relic of the Taíno Indians.

Cap dels homes presents allà, a excepció de l'indi,

None of the men present there, except the Indian,

creien que es tractaria d'un objecte de valor significatiu.

They believed it would be an object of significant value.

Però, tot i així, pensaven que era imprescindible fer-se amb la relíquia

But, even so, they thought it was essential to get hold of the relic.

per mostrar als indis la indubtable supremacia hispànica

to show the Indians the undeniable Hispanic supremacy

i, per tant, deixar clar de forma nítida qui era el nou amo de l'illa.

and, therefore, make it clear who the new owner of the island was.

Davant la cova, el capità Margarit, vestit amb un ajustat jipó acabat amb pic,

In front of the cave, Captain Margarit, dressed in a snug jerkin finished with a peak,

calçó bombatxo i el típic casc de morrió dels conquistadors,

puffed trousers and the typical morion helmet of the conquerors,

mirava extasiat l'entrada de la cova,

he gazed in ecstasy at the entrance of the cave,

pensant que aviat podria doblegar els indis que es negaven a genollar-se

thinking that soon he could bend the Indians who refused to kneel

davant de l'autoritat de la reina de Castella.

before the authority of the queen of Castile.

Després de l'èxit del primer viatge de l'almirall genovès Cristòfor Colom,

After the success of the first voyage of the Genoese admiral Christopher Columbus,

el papa Borja havia concedit el domini del nou món a Castella en exclusiva

Pope Borja had granted the exclusive dominion of the New World to Castile.

i Isabel I de Castella i Ferran II d'Aragó

Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon

van fer tot el que estava al seu abast

they did everything within their reach

per preparar un segon viatge a les ordres de Colom

to prepare for a second voyage under the orders of Columbus

que comptés amb els millors homes i mitjans,

that it had the best men and resources,

ja no només per explorar aquelles terres,

not only to explore those lands anymore,

sinó per colonitzar-les de forma efectiva

but to colonize them effectively

i convertir-les en la primera colònia ultramarina de la Corona de Castella.

and turning them into the first overseas colony of the Crown of Castile.

Tenint en compte que quan Colom va arribar a l'illa en el seu primer viatge

Taking into account that when Columbus arrived at the island on his first voyage

la majoria dels indis taïnos no van mostrar resistència,

most of the Taíno Indians did not show resistance,

al contrari, els van rebre com si fossin déus enviats del cel,

on the contrary, they were received as if they were gods sent from heaven,

tot indicava que la colonització seria una tasca fàcil d'aconseguir.

Everything indicated that colonization would be an easy task to achieve.

D'entre tots els indis, només un cacic del sud

Among all the Indians, only one chieftain from the south.

havia mostrat una ferma oposició

had shown a firm opposition

i, per tant, es donava per fet que quan l'almirall genovès

And therefore, it was taken for granted that when the Genoese admiral

retornés amb més reforços en un segon viatge,

returned with more reinforcements on a second trip,

tota l'illa quedaria sotmesa.

the entire island would be subdued.

Quan Colom va retornar al capdavant d'una flota de 17 vaixells,

When Columbus returned at the head of a fleet of 17 ships,

integrada per 1.500 homes i 200 cavalls,

integrated by 1,500 men and 200 horses,

no va tenir cap problema per fundar la primera ciutat del Nou Món,

he had no problem founding the first city of the New World,

la Isabela, en la part de l'illa pacificada,

Isabela, in the part of the pacified island,

tot alçant un imponent fort, el Fortí de Santo Tomàs,

while raising an imposing fortress, the Fort of Santo Tomás,

en la part de l'illa controlada pel cacic rebel,

in the part of the island controlled by the rebel chieftain,

fortí que, per recomanació directa dels reis catòlics,

fortress that, by direct recommendation of the Catholic Monarchs,

havia de ser governat pel capità Margarit,

it had to be governed by Captain Margarit,

home que havia participat amb molta habilitat en la reconquesta de Granada.

man who had participated with great skill in the reconquest of Granada.

A més a més, però, dintre tots els homes enviats al Fortí de Santo Tomàs

Furthermore, however, among all the men sent to the Fort of Santo Tomás

i posats a les ordres del capità Margarit,

and placed at the orders of Captain Margarit,

n'hi havia un que va resultar d'extrema utilitat

there was one that proved to be of extreme usefulness

per la seva habilitat lingüística, Ramon Paner.

for his linguistic ability, Ramon Paner.

Es tractava d'un ermità gerònim que, en tan sols uns mesos,

It was about a hermit Jerome who, in just a few months,

va aprendre la llengua dels teínos i, per tant,

he learned the language of the teínos and, therefore,

es va convertir en l'home clau,

he became the key man,

tant per recopilar informació directament amb els indis

so much to gather information directly with the natives

com per convèncer-los de l'autèntica fe

how to convince them of the true faith

i aconseguir així la seva col·laboració.

and thus achieve their collaboration.

Els teínos, per exemple, van ser els que van fer la llengua dels teínos.

The teínos, for example, were the ones who made the language of the teínos.

Els teínos eren un conjunt de tribus governades per cacics

The Teinons were a group of tribes ruled by chieftains.

que habitaven diversos poblats en les clarianes interiors de la selva

that inhabited various settlements in the forest's interior clearings

des de feia segles.

for centuries.

Vivien en petites comunitats que, agrupades les unes amb les altres,

They lived in small communities that, grouped together with one another,

retien obediència a un cacic

he obeyed a chief

qui, conjuntament amb els cacics de les altres regions de l'illa,

who, together with the caciques of the other regions of the island,

decidien el destí del conjunt.

they decided the fate of the whole.

No es tractava en cap cas d'una comunitat política organitzada,

It was not, in any case, a politically organized community,

sinó d'un contrapès de poders entre tribus d'una mateixa ètnia

but rather a counterbalance of powers among tribes of the same ethnicity

que vivien de la caça i d'una agricultura i ramaderia molt precàries.

who lived from hunting and very precarious agriculture and livestock farming.

Ramon Paner, completament obsessionat a evangelitzar els teínos,

Ramon Paner, completely obsessed with evangelizing the teínos,

havia après la seva llengua per poder predicar entre ells

he had learned their language to be able to preach among them

i havia dedicat llargues estones a aconseguir la seva confiança,

I had dedicated long hours to gaining his trust,

parlant amb ells i ajudant-los en diverses tasques domèstiques.

talking with them and helping them with various household tasks.

Els teínos, en contemplar la bondat de Paner

The teínos, upon contemplating the goodness of Paner.

i en sentir les seves paraules i les benhaurances dels evangelis,

"and upon hearing his words and the blessings of the gospels,"

li van agafar molt efecte, fins al punt que,

they had a great effect on him, to the point that,

per contrarrestar els seus arguments,

to counter their arguments,

li havien explicat en què consistia el seu sistema de creences

they had explained to him what his belief system consisted of

i relacions amb els teínos.

and relationships with the tea houses.

Així, Ramon Paner havia començat a escriure un llibre anomenat

Thus, Ramon Paner had begun to write a book titled

Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios

Report on the antiquities of the Indians

i el capità Margarit, que no es refiava de la manera de fer de Paner

And Captain Margarit, who did not trust Paner's way of doing things.

i estava impacient per sotmetre els teínos,

I was impatient to submit the meetings,

havia buscat amagat entre els escrits de l'ermità Gerònim

I had searched hidden among the writings of the hermit Geronimo.

i havia llegit

I had read.

Jo, frai Ramon Paner, pobre ermitaño de l'orden de San Jerónimo,

I, brother Ramon Paner, poor hermit of the order of Saint Jerome,

por mandato de l'ilustre señor almirante, virrey

by mandate of the illustrious lord admiral, viceroy

i governador de les isles i de la tiara firme de la ciutat,

and governor of the islands and of the firm tiara of the city,

escribo el que he podido averiguar y saber

I write what I have been able to find out and learn.

acerca de las creencias e idolatrías de los indios

About the beliefs and idolatries of the Indians.

y cómo veneran a sus dioses,

and how they worship their gods,

lo cual trataré en la presente relación.

which I will address in this report.

Su divinidad principal es la yaya,

Her main divinity is the grandmother,

una bola que fue enviada desde los cielos en tiempos ancestrales

a ball that was sent from the heavens in ancient times

y que los teínos identifican con la madre tierra.

and that the Teinó identify with Mother Earth.

La yaya, guardada en las entrañas de la tierra,

The grandmother, hidden in the bowels of the earth,

es venerada por todos los teínos de la isla durante los equinoccios.

It is venerated by all the inhabitants of the island during the equinoxes.

Feixos, que han estat els teínos de la isla,

Bundles, which have been the dreams of the island,

hi havia només una setmana que el capità Margarit havia llegit aquell fragment.

It had been only a week since Captain Margarit had read that passage.

Temps suficient per entendre, però,

Enough time to understand, however,

que si aconseguia aquella relíquia, el cacic rebel es rendiria.

that if he obtained that relic, the rebel chieftain would surrender.

D'aquesta manera, aprofitant que,

In this way, taking advantage that,

des que els conqueridors hispànics havien arribat,

since the Hispano conquerors had arrived,

s'havia estès una epidèmia que tan sols afectava els nadius

an epidemic had spread that only affected the natives

i que aquests estaven morint en massa,

and that they were dying in droves,

el capità Margarit havia decidit fer ús de la mentida i la manipulació

Captain Margarit had decided to make use of lies and manipulation.

perquè algun d'aquells nadius li ensenyés on guardaven la bola

so that one of those natives could show him where they kept the ball

que anomenaven yaya.

they called her grandma.

Amb molt poc esforç,

With very little effort,

va trobar un nadiu disposat a col·laborar.

he found a native willing to collaborate.

Un indi que havia perdut la dona, sis fills i els seus pares,

An Indian who had lost his wife, six children, and his parents,

víctimes d'una malaltia que començava amb unes febres molt altes,

victims of a disease that began with very high fevers,

seguida al cap de pocs dies per unes erupcions esgarrifoses a la pell

followed a few days later by horrifying eruptions on the skin

i, finalment, amb hemorràgies que van posar fi a les seves vides de forma fulminant.

and finally, with hemorrhages that ended their lives in a sudden manner.

A l'indi només li quedava una filla viva,

The Indian only had one daughter left alive,

però ja presentava febre,

but he was already exhibiting a fever,

així que el capità Margarit li va prometre que la salvaria

so Captain Margarit promised her that he would save her

si li mostrava el lloc exacte on es guardava la yaya.

if he showed her the exact place where the grandmother was kept.

L'indi va acceptar.

The Indian agreed.

Només unes hores després,

Just a few hours later,

el capità Margarit va preparar els seus homes

Captain Margarit prepared his men.

i l'indi els va conduir, en la calma de la nit,

and the Indian led them, in the calm of the night,

enmig d'un espès bosc de caobes

in the middle of a dense mahogany forest

poblat per immenses serps i ocells de colors parlants,

populated by immense snakes and talking colorful birds,

fins a arribar al vessant est d'una gran muntanya,

until reaching the eastern slope of a large mountain,

a uns 14 quilòmetres de la costa i del fortí de Sant Tomàs.

about 14 kilometers from the coast and the fort of Sant Tomàs.

Davant l'entrada de la cova,

In front of the cave's entrance,

l'indi es va posar de genolls amb el cap cot

The Indian knelt down with his head bowed.

i el capità Margarit li va posar la mà magnànimament a sobre el cap,

and Captain Margarit magnanimously placed his hand on his head,

donant-li a entendre que havia,

giving him to understand that there was,

que havia obrat de forma adequada.

that had acted appropriately.

Sense més, tots els homes van encendre unes torxes,

Without further ado, all the men lit some torches,

van preparar les armes per precaució

they prepared the weapons as a precaution

i es van disposar a entrar.

and they got ready to enter.

L'entrada era més aviat petita

The entrance was rather small.

i tots van haver de cotar-se per introduir-s'hi.

and everyone had to cut themselves to get into it.

No obstant això, un cop a dins,

However, once inside,

després de passar per un estret túnel,

after passing through a narrow tunnel,

la cavitat s'anava eixamplant a mesura que augmentava el desnivell,

the cavity was widening as the slope increased,

fins a arribar, passats uns centenars de metres,

until reaching, after a few hundred meters,

a una gran galeria subterrània

to a large underground gallery

completament abarrotada d'objectes de ceràmica.

completely stuffed with ceramic objects.

Hi havia escoltes,

There were scouts,

cultures,

cultures,

gerres,

jugs,

plats,

plates,

vaixelles,

dishes,

gots,

glasses,

copes,

cups,

utensilis...

tools...

Estava completament plena de forma endreçada,

It was completely full in an orderly manner,

com si fos un tribut a la divinitat,

as if it were a tribute to the divinity,

ocupant cada racó d'aquell espai cavernós.

occupying every corner of that cavernous space.

Els homes,

The men,

encuriosits,

curious,

acostaven les torxes a la ceràmica

they brought the torches close to the pottery

per contemplar que es tractava,

to contemplate what it was about,

a parè seu,

to your father,

d'una terrissa recaica i pot desenvolupada.

of a recalcitrant and well-developed pottery.

Després d'explorar aquell espai

After exploring that space

i no trobar res significatiu,

and not finding anything significant,

van decidir continuar endavant

they decided to move forward

i van recórrer la galeria

and they traveled through the gallery

fins a la ciutat.

to the city.

I van arribar a l'altre extrem,

They arrived at the other end,

observant que el sostre descendia

noticing that the ceiling was descending

i les parets s'estranyien fins a formar un túnel.

And the walls curved until forming a tunnel.

Un a un,

One by one,

van formar una filera

they formed a line

i van arribar,

and they arrived,

al cap d'un minut,

after a minute,

a una altra galeria més gran que l'anterior.

to a larger gallery than the previous one.

Acostant les torxes,

Bringing the torches closer,

van observar que estava plena d'estalactites,

they observed that it was full of stalactites,

columnes i estalagmites,

columns and stalagmites,

vestides got a got

dressed drop by drop

amb la calça acumulada al llarg de centenars de milers d'anys.

with the sediment accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years.

Semblava talment com si s'haguessin introduït

It seemed almost as if they had been introduced.

a les entranyes de la Terra,

to the depths of the Earth,

on regnava la humitat i la foscor més absoluta,

where humidity and absolute darkness reigned,

entre un tenebrós silenci

in a gloomy silence

només trencat pel degoteig constant de l'aigua.

only broken by the constant dripping of the water.

Després de recórrer aquella galeria,

After wandering through that gallery,

es van introduir per un nou túnel

they were introduced through a new tunnel

que baixava encara més cap a les profunditats,

that went even deeper into the depths,

fins a arribar

until arriving

a una grandiosa i bellíssima galeria.

to a magnificent and beautiful gallery.

Aquí, sorprenentment,

Here, surprisingly,

ja no s'escoltava aigua

the water was no longer heard

i, per la vista que oferien les torxes,

and, for the view offered by the torches,

les parets cavernoses eren més seques i llises

the cavernous walls were drier and smoother

que en la cavitat anterior.

that in the anterior cavity.

De sobte,

Suddenly,

gràcies a la tènua llum de les torxes,

thanks to the dim light of the torches,

es van adonar que aquella galeria

they realized that that gallery

estava plena de pintures.

It was full of paintings.

Els homes que acompanyaven el capità

The men who accompanied the captain.

acostaven les torxes a les parets

they brought the torches close to the walls

tot observant els gravats.

while observing the engravings.

Homes i dones caçant,

Men and women hunting,

formes laberíntiques, estelars,

labyrinthine forms, stellar,

homes ballant al voltant d'una tortuga,

men dancing around a turtle,

insectes i homes muntats sobre cavalls.

insects and men mounted on horses.

El capità, en veure el cavall,

The captain, upon seeing the horse,

es va estranyar.

He was surprised.

En teoria, no hi havia cavalls a les Índies.

In theory, there were no horses in the Indies.

Els primers havien arribat distribuïts

The first ones had arrived distributed.

en els 17 vaixells

in the 17 ships

no feia ni un any.

not even a year had passed.

Sense entendre aquella pintura,

Without understanding that painting,

el capità va ordenar

the captain ordered

que portessin més torxes

that they bring more torches

per millorar la vista

to improve eyesight

i es va acostar a la paret.

And he/she approached the wall.

Al moment, contemplant la pintura,

At the moment, contemplating the painting,

un esgarrifant se li va recórrer de cap a peus

A shiver ran down his spine.

i se li va posar la pell de gallina.

and he/she got goosebumps.

Observant, no va poder obviar

Observing, they could not overlook

que, muntat sobre el cavall,

that, mounted on the horse,

hi havia un home blanc vestit amb una armadura,

there was a white man dressed in armor,

amb barba i cavallera rossa,

with a beard and red hair,

que enarborava un estandard blanc

that was raising a white standard

amb una creu pater vermella.

with a red father cross.

Presentant batalla en actitud

Presenting battle in attitude

amenaçant aquest home muntat,

threatening this mounted man,

hi havia dibuixat un altre cavall,

there was another horse drawn,

muntat per un home blanc,

mounted by a white man,

amb una barba roja,

with a red beard,

que enarborava un estandard

that bore a standard

amb una cleu flor d'alisada en blanc i negre.

with a key flower of white and black alisada.

Però, què collons,

But, what the hell,

va dir el capità, sense entendre res.

said the captain, without understanding anything.

Capità, capità, aquí,

Captain, captain, here,

ràpid, veniu,

quick, come,

va cridar un dels seus homes.

he called one of his men.

El capità va deixar de mirar la pintura

The captain stopped looking at the painting.

i es va introduir amb els seus homes

and he entered with his men

per un estret túnel

through a narrow tunnel

fins a arribar a una petita galeria

until reaching a small gallery

amb un llac,

with a lake,

de la que en sobressortia,

from which it protruded,

just al mig,

right in the middle,

una roca amb un estrany objecte just a sobre.

a rock with a strange object right on top.

Ho veieu?

Do you see it?

Li va preguntar un dels seus homes al capità.

One of his men asked the captain.

Des de l'estrem de la galeria

From the end of the gallery

fins al centre del petit llac,

to the center of the small lake,

allà on reposava la pedra,

there where the stone rested,

no hi devia haver més de sis metres

there couldn't have been more than six meters

i just sobre la pedra

I fell on the stone.

es veia una figura de formes perfectes

a figure with perfect shapes was seen

absolutament turbadora.

absolutely disturbing.

De sobte, just quan l'indi va entrar a la galeria,

Suddenly, just as the Indian entered the gallery,

es va agenollar.

he/she knelt down.

Va inclinar el cap en senyal de veneració

He bowed his head in a sign of reverence.

i va dir, iaia, iaia.

And he said, grandma, grandma.

El capità

The captain

observava amb curiosit.

I observed with curiosity.

Sobre la pedra que flotava

On the stone that floated

enmig de la llacuna

in the middle of the lagoon

s'observava una pedra metàl·lica

a metallic stone was observed

de formes corbes.

of curved shapes.

A cloquant una mica els ulls

A little closing the eyes

va veure que es tractava sens dubte

he saw that it was undoubtedly

d'una esfera

of a sphere

que no devia fer més d'un metre d'altura

that could not have been more than a meter tall

i des de la distància

and from a distance

semblava que estigués escardada.

it seemed like it was being weeded out.

Sense entendre què tenia d'especial

Without understanding what was special about it

aquell objecte,

that object,

va ordenar als seus homes

he ordered his men

que circumdessin l'aigua,

that surrounded the water,

cadascuna amb una torxa,

each with a torch,

de tal manera que s'il·luminés més

in such a way that it would shine more

per poder veure millor aquella estranya forma.

to be able to see that strange shape better.

Sobtadament,

Suddenly,

gràcies al moviment de les torxes,

thanks to the movement of the torches,

el capità va poder comprovar

the captain was able to verify

que allò no era una esquerda,

that it was not a crack,

sinó que l'esfera estava gravada

but the sphere was engraved

en la seva part exterior,

on its exterior side,

tot dibuixant els continents de la Terra

all drawing the continents of the Earth

amb absoluta precisió.

with absolute precision.

Però...

But...

És impossible!

It's impossible!

Va exclamar el capità,

The captain exclaimed,

caient de genolls.

falling to my knees.

Iaia!

Granny!

Va exclamar l'indi.

The Indian exclaimed.

Temps de cega.

Blind time.

De magia i balcells i balcells.

Of magic and balcells and balcells.

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Iaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaia

Fins demà!

See you tomorrow!