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Christophorus Columbus (1451-1502) was a Genovese explorer and expert
navigator who proposed a new westward route from Europe to South East
Asia. The monarchs of Spain supported his
expedition, as they were interested in establishing new routes and dominate the
spice trade.
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During
his first voyage to the Americas in 1492, he landed on an island in the Bahamas
that he named San Salvador. Columbus was a learned man who knew Latin, Portuguese and the
Castilian languages. He had read the
works of Ptolemy, Pliny’s Naturalis Historia, and Marco Polo’s travels among
others. Columbus became an accomplished
mariner as between 1473 and 1485 had travelled extensible to the Greek island
of Chios, Bristol in England, Galway in Ireland and also Iceland. Those
who have crossed oceans on sailboats know the multitude of difficulties
mariners face in long distance passages.
Columbus’ voyage was no exception and it was his knowledge of the “trade
winds” that propelled him to the Americas and also helped his return trip to
the Iberian Peninsula.
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When Columbus made his landing on Oct 12, 1492 he encountered the gentle
Arawak Indians, but this lush green utopia was not a paradise. Other tribes
such as the Carib Indians were warlike and carried raids across the Caribbean. They
were known to eat human flesh.
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Today, Americans are being encouraged to judge the past based on
modern enlightenment and condemn people such as Columbus for failing to live up
to our standards. Six out of ten Americans agree though that his
accomplishments were pivotal for bringing together the Old and the New World and
honored him by giving his name in many towns like Columbus, Ohio.
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The
anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is usually observed on October
12th in Spain and throughout the Americas, except Canada. In Spain it is called
the Fiesta Nacional de España y Día de la Hispanidad, while a
number of countries in Latin America celebrate it as Día de la Raza.
In the United States it is called Columbus Day and is observed annually on the
second Monday in October.
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