Cities Benefit by Sharing with the World What Makes Them Special
By Les Conklin
Scottsdale’s proposed Desert Discovery Center (DDC) will surely emphasize a key insight of environmentalism that EVERYTHING in the world is “connected” to EVERYTHING else. The discoveries made by the Portuguese explorers memorialized by the Discoveries Monument in Lisbon were essential to the basic understanding of global connectivity and dependence. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if the expeditions headed by Magellan and De Gama had never taken place?
Lisbon, Portugal. On the Tagus River, Lisbon has lured traders and settlers for more than 20 centuries. In the late 15th century , the port of Lisbon was the staging point of Portuguese explorations that would result in the Great Age of Discovery, and make Lisbon the richest European capitol until the 19th century. Monument to the Discoveries, pictured here, is located on the shore of Tagus River, facing the river. It immortalizes Portugal’s great explorers, many of whom began their explorations here. Not far from Lisbon, the Tagus empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It is Iberia’s longest river.
“On September 6, 1522, a battered ship appeared on the horizon … A small pilot boat was dispatched to lead the strange ship over the reefs … The vessel they were guiding into the harbor was manned by a skeleton crew of just eighteen sailors and three captives, all of them severely malnourished. … Their captain was dead, as were the officers, the boatswains, and the pilots; in fact, nearly the entire crew had perished … the ship, Victoria, … had departed three years earlier. No one knew what had become of her … Despite the journey’s hardships, Victoria and her diminished crew accomplished what no other ship had ever done before. By sailing west until they reached the East, and then sailing on in the same direction, they had fulfilled an ambition as old as the human imagination, the first circumnavigation of the globe.”
“Over the Edge of the World: “Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe” by Laurence Bergreen
‘The light was fading when the three strange ships appeared off the coast of India … The alarm was raised on the beach and groups of men dragged four long, narrow boats into the water. … ‘”What nation are you from?’ the Indians’ leader shouted when they were under the side of the nearest ship. ‘We are from Portugal,’ one of the sailors called back. … The year was 1498. Ten months earlier the little fleet had set sail from Lisbon, the Portuguese capitol, on a mission to change the world. ”
“The Last Crusade: The Epic Voyages of Vasco De Gama” by Nigel Cliff
Lisbon, Portugal, May 2016
As our Portuguese tour guide led us through a large park towards the awe-inspiring Monument of Discoveries, she explained that we were on hallowed ground. The monument is located on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary, in Lisbon, the place where the Portuguese caravels and crews departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient. This is where kings, queens, bishops, and citizens of Lisbon gathered to salute the members of exploratory expeditions as they sailed for destinations unknown.
The monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries, when Henry the Navigator supported early explorations and De Gama and Magellan led their famed expeditions. Statues on the monument memorialize 33 Portuguese explorers and leaders. Nearby are two World Heritage sites, Belem Tower, dating to the early 16th century and Jeronimos Monastery, which was dedicated in 1495.
Lisbon, Portugal. The left-most figure, looking toward the west is Henry the Navigator. In his time, he was considered a madman for espousing the theory that eastern destinations could be reached by sailing west. Other figures represented in the monument include Ferdinand Magellan (the first expedition to circumnavigate the world), Vasco de Gama (led the expedition that discovered the route to India via the Cape of Good Hope), and Pedro Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil.
As the guide spoke about the controversies surrounding the Monument of Discoveries and the use of the land along the Tagus River, I thought of home, Scottsdale, and the controversy created by the proposed Desert Discovery Center. Lisbon is a small city; its population about twice that of Scottsdale. Some of what the guide said had a familiar ring.
She told us that the Monument of Discoveries was conceived in 1939, 77-years-ago, as a temporary beacon during the Portuguese World Fair that opened in June 1940. By 1943, the original wood structure, which was not located at the current Tagus River site, was demolished. In 1958, the government, promoted the intent to construct a permanent Monument to the Discoveries. Between November 1958 and January 1960, the new monument was constructed. Some residents objected to the use of the Tagus site because of the presence of the historic Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery. Some felt the monument, which includes a small auditorium, rooms for exhibits, an elevator and staircase, was too large. Some objected to the extensive use of cement. Today, some Lisbon residents are unhappy about the heavily-used commuter train line that runs along this scenic part of the river on the edge of the park. And, there was a delay caused by a revolution in 1974.
Today, the Monument of Discoveries is one of the top visitor experiences in Lisbon and the city’s tourism industry is on a major upswing. Portugal, a member of the European Union, is reaching out to the world and sharing a story about the Age of Discovery that only it can tell.
Scottsdale, Arizona, September 2016
The Desert Discovery Center, envisioned for more than 20 years, promises to enable Scottsdale, which has created the largest city-owned preserve in the United States, to reach out and share the benefits of its McDowell Sonoran Preserve in the evolving age of environmental awareness and eco-tourism. As the DDC website states “sharing with a global audience Scottsdale’s sensitivity to the rich and fragile Sonoran Desert environment and its experience conceiving, acquiring, conserving and maintaining the largest urban preserve in the nation.”
Saguaro Sunset by Susan Q. Byrd
Planning is now underway that will determine the size, scope, and price of the DDC. The estimated development cost and final design are scheduled to be announced in August 2017. The proposed location of the DDC is in north Scottsdale, on the east side of Thompson Peak Parkway about a half-mile north of Bell Road, just inside the preserve border, and south of the Gateway Trailhead entrance.
Henry the Navigator, Magellan, Vasco De Gama and the other great Portuguese explorers never made it to the Sonoran Desert. However, if Scottsdale can stay on-course, the countrymen of these explorers and many other travelers from around the world, will make a connection to the desert and environmentalism by visiting the DDC. No caravels and crews required!
Related Articles & Websites
City of Scottsdale, DDC Information, www.scottsdaleaz.gov/construction/desert-discovery-center Website
Desert Discovery Center – Scottsdale, www.scottsdaledesertcenter.com Website
Wikipedia, Padrao dos Descobrimantos (Monument of Discoveries) Website
The People’s Preserve – How Scottsdale Created the McDowell Sonoran Preserve by Joan Fudala Article
September 25, 2016
The DDC that violates the City Charter? Really? How about the Desert Preserve “left in its natural condition”? In all that 20, or 30, years they’ve been planning it, you would think they would have included it in one of the Bonds? or City Charter amendments?