Columbus Day is still a Federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the Monday closest to the 12th of October. However, many states are renaming it, terming it Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and rightly so. If you have read the history of Christopher Columbus he was not a moral person. His treatment of indigenous people and people of color in general was abhorrent. Normally, I try to understand historical figures in the context of their time, but Columbus‘s action in this regard were so atrocious, even for the times, that they had the King of Spain tossing him in prison.
When the subject of Cristóbal Colón comes up, my Spanish tutors/teachers in Latin America – most of whom have indigenous ancestry to some degree or more – have nothing good to say about him. I am not a big fan of revisionist history in general and the whole “woke culture” in particular, but Columbus Day is one holiday that needs replaced or renamed. His was not a life we should be celebrating, and reflecting on the myths taught us about Christopher Columbus and 1492, just reinforces that opinion.
I came across the following snippet in a posting pushed out from italki.com which is what triggered this rumination: My Guide to the Best Celebrations in Latin America
On October 12th, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean marking an era of expansion and cultural mixtures where different civilizations merged. For many years, this date was celebrated and considered a moment of conquest.
Nowadays, Latin Americans are starting to approach this date with more respect and more carefully as millions of lives were lost and local traditions were lost. Every country is naming this occasion differently: Día del respeto a la diversidad cultural (day of respect to cultural diversity) in Argentina, Día de la Resistencia indígena (day of indigenous endurance) in Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua; and in some countries like Peru, Panama, and Cuba it is not a national holiday.
If you happen to be visiting some countries in South America on October 12th you will witness colorful and emotional celebrations to honor our ancestors.
And just a little food for thought.
I saw this quote in a book I read;
“From here, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, we can send all the slaves that can be sold.”
Christopher Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella, referring to natives in Hispaniola.
Is it any wonder some people don’t want to acknowledge the White Man’s sins?