by Matthew Adams

Created on: October 07, 2008   Last Updated: February 27, 2011

Christopher Columbus was an Italian sailor born in Genoa, whose voyages of the Caribbean have aroused some controversy in recent times. Often heralded as the discoverer of America, there are in fact a few myths that have developed surrounding Columbus and his voyages.

To begin with, the name Christopher Columbus is actually more like Cristobal Colon in Spanish, which is a more accurate reference. However, Christopher Columbus has become widely adopted in the west, and he is now referred to as such.

Perhaps more importantly however, he did not discover America, or even the more general term of New World, which is sometimes used. In 1492, Columbus landed on the Caribbean Islands and never set foot on the American mainland.

Equally, the igneous people were the first to actually embrace the New World, and likewise even European sailors had beaten him to it. Leif Ericson is actually believed to have been the first European to do so, 500 years beforehand.

So, for the myth surrounding his discovery of the New World Columbus has become famous. With statues erected in cities like Barcelona, and a Columbus Day marking the 1492 landing. The Europeans were not aware of the Americas at the time of his voyages, and as such upon returning to Spain in 1493, he was heralded as discovering it.

His actual discovery of the Caribbean Islands was more by accident than design. Columbus was seeking the Indies, and East-Asia mainland (Asia) in pursuit of lucrative trade and spices for Spain and Queen Isabella. Equally, he mistook the Caribbean Islands for the East Indies by calling the ingenious peoples Indians.

On that note, it was the subsequent beginning of Spanish colonization. His small settlements in the Caribbean would mark the beginning of the Spanish Empire. For that, he can take credit and undoubtedly he was an important sailor for Spain.

However, equally his settlement of the island has been criticized. While glorification remains, talk of slavery and pillage have become associated with his time in the Caribbean. Enslaving the natives, as part of and parcel of the European slave trade and likewise theft and plunder of some of the riches found. Recently, the Venezuelan President actually called not to celebrate Columbus Day with genocide being cited.

So, Columbus did not reach the New World first, but he was one of the earliest to actually stay. As such, his discoveries did lay the foundations for the Spanish empire, and in many respects would also lead to further European expeditions in North America, most notably by the British and French. His voyage over the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere is still one of the most significant historically.

However, national hero status in America is perhaps not appropriate, given that he was not really the first to discover North America; but also surrounding some of his ruthless settlement of the Caribbean discussed. For the Spanish he started an empire, but his place in American history is becoming increasingly controversial. Not a discoverer of America, but a European colonialist, who the Americans would one day end up fighting for independence.

Sources:

http://home.att.net/~ascacmidatlantic/columbus.htm

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