In the USA, this holiday was connected to someone known as Cristoforo Colombo (Italian)/Cristóbal Colón (Spanish)/Christopher Columbus (English), who was born in Genoa, Italy.
In much of Latin America, the anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas, October 12, 1492, has been observed as the Día de la Raza (English: “Day of the Race”). ("Race" or Raza refers to the Spanish lineage.) Yet, the name of this observance has since been replaced, changed or altered.
In Colombia, the name of this date has been replaced by Día de la Raza y de la Hispanidad (Day of the Race and of Hispanicity).
In Venezuela, the name was changed to Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Indigenous Resistance Day).
In Costa Rica, the name was altered to Día de las Culturas (Cultures Day).
In Spain, this date is known as the Fiesta Nacional (National Celebration).
Yet, it is a federal holiday in the USA, which officially acknowledges the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the “Americas” on October 12, 1492. Ironically, the day observed as Columbus Day by the USA federal government rarely falls on the day of October 12th. The USA Federal government has re-assigned Columbus Day to the second Monday in October as a part of a plan to create more 3 day weekends so folks living in the USA could take more short family vacations. 1 Of course, by the late 20th century people in the USA were already questioning the value or wisdom of having a holiday named after Christopher Columbus, especially since he was guilty of what most 20th and 21st century Americans would call attrocities.
Historically, October 12, 1492 is commonly said to mark The Discovery of the Americas, a significant event in history.
Ironically, the term “Americas” has ALSO sometimes led to a confusion among some folks. On Columbus’ original voyage, neither the Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria ships, sailed to either Central America, South America, or North America.
True, on the subsequent voyages Columbus did sail farther south, to Central America and South America. Yet, Columbus never got close to what is now known as the United States of America. So, there is also irony in Americans telling their kids for several decades of the 20th century: “Christopher Columbus discovered America”. (Actually, history is full of irony; most people just seem to never learn of—or recognize—history’s ironies.)
Nevertheless, on October 12, 1492, Columbus did land on one of the Caribbean islands—immediately renaming it San Salvador—and claiming it for Spain. [By the way, the people (“Lucayan”) who were already living on this island called it “Guanahani”.]
Columbus and his men then sailed around the Carribbean for five months, taking particular interest in the islands of Juana (now Cuba) and Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti).
As Columbus and his expedition of armed Spaniards met the local inhabitants (Lucayan, Tainos, and Arawaks), he determined them to be non-hositle. He recorded, "As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of what ever there is in these parts."
Columbus did notice some gold trinkets, found among the locals, although not as much as he hoped. Hence, Columbus forced the locals to work in the gold mines until they were exhausted.
Columbus also wrote, "They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane....They would make fine servants..."
He also recorded that some of the locals were quite dangerous--and "...evil and I believe they are from the island of Caribe, and that they eat men." I found another English translation about the dangerous locals which stated: "These islands are inhabited by Cannabili, a wild, unconquered race which feeds on human flesh. I would be right to call them anthropophagi. They wage unceasing wars against gentle and timid Indians to supply flesh; this is their booty and is what they hunt. They ravage, despoil, and terrorize the Indians ruthlessly."
Nevertheless, it is true that Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans to see the Bahamas archipelago, and then later see an island later renamed “Hispaniola”--which now split into the two separate countries of “Haiti” and the “Dominican Republic”. (Later, this same island was the cradle of two different African diasporic religions: Haitian Vodou and Dominican Vudu.)
A truly great irony is Queen Isabella (Spanish: Isabel I, April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504), the reigning “Queen of Castile” in Spain, did not finance this expedition for Columbus to discover “the Americas".
In the 15th and 16th centuries, WHAT Europeans REALLY wanted to find was better (“faster” or “more efficient”) sea routes to India and the rest of the Far East. Columbus devised a route to sail West across the Atlantic to reach Asia, believing that it would be a quicker and safer route to India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands. Columbus believed the Earth to be a sphere—and he estimated the distance between the Canary Islands and Japan to be around 2,300 miles. (The Earth is not a perfect sphere, though it is a round-ish, “bumpy spheroid”. Columbus, however, was wrong about the rather large size of our Earth.)
Instead, we have a version of the classic tale of a man deciding to take a “short-cut” via an alternate route that would surely get everyone to the desired destination more efficiently. Yet, he doesn't ever reach the desired destination. Seriously, how’s THAT for historical irony? Wait, there’s more irony… Queen Isabella and her husband King Ferdinand got control of large sections of this New World and greatly enriched the coffers of Spain. After several trips the last voyage of Columbus to the New World was in 1502, and it did not exactly go as well as he desired.
In November of 1504, Columbus and his men were taken back to Spain. By this time, Columbus had lost his titles and some of his wealth. Although he had been given titles by his royal patrons: Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Viceroy, and Governor of All Teritories after his first trip. Upon return from his last trip, Columbus was stripped of all titles. However, it seems that he did manage to regain some of his wealth in May 1505.
After a long illness, Christopher Columbus died on May 20, 1506, at age 55, in Valladolid, Spain. What exactly was wrong isn’t clear. It was assumed at time that he had “gout”. Modern doctors have since speculated that it could have been “Reiter’s Syndrome”. It may have been a reactive arthritis caused by bacterial intestinal infections, possibly during one of his voyages due to food poisoning, or possibly from some sexually transmitted disease. Reportedly, Columbus struggled with fevers and bleeding from the eyes. His severe arthritis kept him bedridden for several months at a time.
The greatest historical irony was that Christopher Columbus died still believing he had discovered a shorter route to the Indies, which is why this area became known as the West Indies. Ironically, it is also why the USA Native American peoples are still called "Indians".
I wish to add that numerous attrocities have been attributed to Columbus. He clearly did not think of the locals as human beings, worthy of respect or care. They were valuable only in the sense of beasts of burden to dig, cut, and work unceasingly. Columbus apparently decided the best method of keeping the locals obedient and submissive was fear. In no way, should he be viewed as a saint, but he is a very signifcant character in history.
Monday, October 11, 2021
1 In the USA, some Americans choose to call October 12 th or the Second Monday in October: Indigenous Peoples Day as a day that is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples, commemorating their histories and cultures. This date is also celebrated under the names National Indigenous Peoples Day or Native American Day.
Sources:
Christopher Wanjek, Top 5 Misconceptions About Columbus, October 09, 2011, accessed, Monday, October 11, 2021.
Wikipedia, San Salvador Island , accessed, Monday, October 11, 2021.
"How did Christopher Columbus Die?" History on the Net copyright 2000-2021, Salem Media, accessed, Monday, October 11, 2021.
TNTP, “You've Been Lied To: The REAL Christopher Columbus”. Reimagine Teaching, (no copyright date found)
Vincent Schilling, “Eight myths and atrocities about Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day” Indian Country Today. October 11, 2021.
Wade Frazier, Columbus: The Original American Hero, Globalization. 2001.