| | |  Editorials | Opinions 
Many Oppose the Renaming of Mexican Island for Cousteau
 Miguel León-Portilla - mexidata.info
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January 08, 2010
| | Irrespective of the merits of Cousteau, no relationship can be seen between him and Cerralvo Island. | |
Several newspapers, including of course La Jornada, recently published notice that Cerralvo Island, in the Gulf of California [Sea of Cortez] just south of La Paz Bay, has been renamed for the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. The notice has not only been surprising to citizens of Baja California Sur [sudcalifornianos], students of history and many others, but too it has been labeled a genuine aberration. This because a centuries old name is blotted out and, irrespective of the merits of Cousteau, no relationship can be seen between him and Cerralvo Island.
The toponymy of a country, be it the place names of cities, towns, mountains, islands, seas and rivers, is an integral part of its national identity. Mexico's toponymy includes thousands of names in indigenous languages, as well as Spanish and other languages.
Take for example San Cristóbal Ecatepec de Morelos. Ecatepec, in Náhuatl, means "Hill of the Wind"; "San Cristóbal" is the saint's name given by the Franciscans; and "Morelos" brings to mind and heart that this was the place where José María Morelos, a hero among heroes of Mexico's Independence, was executed by shooting.
The Official Daily [Mexico's official gazette] of November 17 included an "accord," signed in Aguascalientes by the director general of Geography and Environment of INEGI, the National Statistics and Geography Institute, whereby — according to the accord — "the change of name from Cerralvo Island to that of Jacques Cousteau is actualized."
In said accord, after describing the island's location, it declares that "the Executive Power, through the Secretariat of Government [Interior], charged with the duty of administrating the islands of federal jurisdiction (…), asked INEGI to carry out the needed actions in order to register the geographic name change of Cerralvo Island in the National Geographic Information Register."
The referenced paragraph appears to part with [the fact] that the change of name is brought about by an order of the Executive that, through the Secretariat of Government asks for the name change "to be carried out" without citing any decree wherein the Executive or the Secretary of Government have ordered said change. It appears that an INEGI functionary just signed the agreement of an "actualization." Given this, the questions are — when, how and why did the Executive decide to make the change?
The reasoning, it would appear, assumes that with the name [Jacques Cousteau] tourist interest in the island and the Sea of Cortez will be accentuated. It has been said that Cousteau once remarked [this] sea had many attractions and great fisheries wealth. If that is what he said, it should be remembered here that the great historian Francisco Xavier Clavijero, more than two centuries earlier, described that sea as an immense marine mine considering its fishery resources.
By arbitrarily and gratuitously making the change without giving any reason, a part of the history of the Mexican Californias is being erased. As well, this is against the national identity and culture.
I will awaken to memory why that island has been named, and should always be named, Cerralvo.
A colorful ship's captain, named Francisco de Ortega, arrived in Acaponeta, Nayarit, in 1632. Knowing of previous expeditions to the [Baja] California peninsula, he too wanted to find fortune. The problem he ran into was that King Philip IV [of Spain], a little earlier, had ordered the suspension of any new attempts at exploration, since up to then nothing had been gained.
So, the shrewd Francisco de Ortega went to the Viceroy Marquis de Cerralvo, telling him that he had a frigate with which he would be able to travel to California, not precisely to explore there but to ascertain if such an exploration was worthwhile. With that resourceful proposal he obtained the permission requested.
Ortega embarked on three expeditions, in 1632, 1634 and 1636. He established contact with the natives of the port of La Paz, and explored north nearly to the 28° parallel. On the third trip Ortega's vessel was destroyed during a storm, however the captain and his crew, using the remains of the frigate, were able to build another vessel. Thus, on the expedition authorized by the Viceroy of Cerralvo, the first construction of a ship in the Californias took place.
The trip logs left by Ortega give full accounts of what was discovered. Throughout his expedition Ortega christened a number of islands and, in recognition of the authorization granted by the viceroy, he gave the name Cerralvo to the island of considerable expanse located just south of the bay of La Paz. This is the essence of the history of why this island, for almost four centuries now, has been known by that name.
Now, with the stroke of a pen that reflects an ignorance of history, is the intent to change this name rich in evocations? Were the authorities and people of Baja California, and those who are interested in the national identity and the relationship that this has with place names, consulted?
I wish to propose here, in order to avoid aberrations such as this, that the Mexican Congress debate and approve a law that stipulates what ways and means can be used with attempts to change a place name. That law should state such changes can only be made with unobjectionable cause, and take history into account. It should also state that proposals for change must be the subject of public hearings, in particular with inhabitants of the location in question and neighboring residents. As long as we do not have that regulation we run the risk of aberrations such as this that are attempts to blot out history.
Dr. Miguel León-Portilla is a preeminent Mexican historian and anthropologist. This commentary was published in the Mexico City daily La Jornada, on November 24, 2009: "¿Borrar la historia? El caso de la isla Cerralvo," by Miguel León-Portilla. Edited translation by MexiData.info. |
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