Christopher Columbus and the U.S. Capitol:
The Hidden Politics Behind a Falsified Flag
A
painting of Christopher Columbus in the U.S. Capitol hides a historical
distortion — replacing the true banner of the Crown of Aragon with the flag of
Castile and León. This article uncovers how political manipulation of art has
shaped the narrative of Columbus, Spain, and Catalonia.
A Painting That Rewrites History
In
January 2021, El Punt
Avui published an article titled A
Historic Impeachment, noting that during the U.S. House of
Representatives debate on Trump’s incitement to insurrection, a large painting
of Christopher Columbus could be seen hanging in one of the Capitol’s grand
rooms.
In that
painting, Columbus is shown holding a flag — the banner of Castile and León.
But was that truly the flag that flew over his ships in 1492?
The answer is no.
The True Emblem of the Catholic Monarchs
The
authentic flag of the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 bore not only the Castilian and
Leonese emblems, but also the heraldry of the Crown of Aragon:
the four red bars on a golden field, representing the House of Barcelona
and the Principality
of Catalonia, rulers of Sicily and other Mediterranean realms.
This composite coat of arms reflected the union of several kingdoms —
Catalonia-Aragon, Castile, León, Granada, and Sicily — under Ferdinand II and
Isabella I.
Anyone can verify this authentic version online or at the Muelle de las Carabelas
museum in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva, Andalusia), where the correct heraldry
can still be seen on the replica ships of Columbus.
Why Was the Flag Changed in Washington?
The
painting displayed in the U.S. Capitol was created by John Vanderlyn, a
New York artist active in the early 19th century.
But who
instructed or influenced him to replace the historical flag with a purely
Castilian one?
This change is not a trivial detail.
It subtly reinforces a centralized
Spanish narrative that erases the Catalan-Aragonese component
of Columbus’s world — shaping how Americans, tourists, and policymakers perceive
both Columbus and Spain’s historical identity.
Historical adulteration, even in art, is not neutral.
It shapes mentalities, influences politics, and perpetuates injustice.
Columbus, Rewritten and Misunderstood
Over the
centuries, Columbus’s figure has been manipulated — from hero to villain —
according to political needs.
Today, he
is often condemned as a symbol of oppression, yet few recall that he may have
defended indigenous people against abuse by Castilian nobles, as dramatized in
Ridley Scott’s 1492:
Conquest of Paradise (1992), written by Roselyne Bosch,
an Occitan of Catalan descent from Avignon.
In one memorable scene, Columbus stops a Castilian named Alonso from
mistreating an indigenous man, forcing him to dismount his horse — a gesture of
moral authority and humiliation for a nobleman. Alonso’s warning that “people
at Court” opposed Columbus reflects the internal hostility between Castilian
and Catalan-Aragonese factions at the Spanish court.
Without Truth, There Can Be No Democracy
False history creates false consciousness.
And without historical truth, there can be no justice, nor genuine democracy.
The Catalan people,
historically part of the Crown of Aragon, continue to seek recognition of their
cultural and political identity — much as Californians once sought independence
from “New Spain” in the 19th century, achieving it between 1846 and 1851.Catalonia
expressed a similar aspiration in the 2017 independence referendum, declared
illegal by the Spanish state.
A Call for Historical Clarity
When I
saw that image in El
Punt Avui — the painting of Columbus under a falsified flag in the
U.S. Capitol — I thought:
perhaps Friends of Catalonia and
California should organize a series of English-language conferences
in California and other U.S. cities to explain these historical truths to
Americans.
The
dialogue between Catalonia and California could help expose how art, history,
and politics intertwine — and how truth, once obscured, can still be reclaimed.
Mr. Trump,
I want to think that you to love the truth,
Please, change the flag.
It will change the view of History,
you can change the future,
the truth is the path where peace is found
the original is this one
To be continued…
Jordi Salat
