Discovering Pasadena : Descendant of Columbus Chosen to Preside Over ’92 Tournament of Roses

The 103rd Tournament of Roses Parade, whose theme is “voyages of discovery,” will be presided over by a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus.

At announcement ceremonies Tuesday on a lawn at the Tournament of Roses headquarters in Pasadena, Cristobal Colon--Duke of Viragua, Duke de la Vega and 20th descendant by direct line of the reputed discoverer of America--stepped out from behind a drape and stood by a portrait of his illustrious ancestor.

He gamely held up an American football, inscribed with “Rose Bowl 1992,” and pronounced the Tournament of Roses “the world’s most beautiful parade.”

Colon, a courtly man with a telegenic smile, talked of the first voyage by Europeans to the New World, which is one of the things being celebrated by the parade. “They had no idea of the immense size of the Alantic Ocean,” he said in accented English. “They left Spain thinking they could easily sail all around the world.”

Colon, who lives in Madrid and carries the title inherited from Columbus of “Admiral of the Ocean Sea,” is a former lieutenant commander in the Spanish Navy and a pilot with 2,000 hours of flying time. According to a Tournament of Roses spokesman, he indulges his passion for the sea by building model ships and ships in bottles.

Being chosen as marshal made him feel a special kinship with American Latinos, Colon said. “I’m proud to be representing all of the Spanish-speaking people, who represent such a large group in the United States,” he said in Spanish.

Then he politely but tensely fielded some questions about critics of the quincentennial celebrations who say it was Columbus’ arrival in the New World that touched off the enslavement and eradication of the Indians in the Caribbean.

Critics of the quincentennial “pick the worst events of the conquest,” he said. “They tell only half of the story.”

The other half concerns the Spaniards’ sense of mission in the New World, he said. “They considered it a mission to protect and convert all Indians to the Catholic religion.”

Then he waved away further questions. “This is not a political press conference,” he said.