Columbus Day - also known as Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Heritage Day), Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Indigenous Resistance Day) or Día de la Diversidad Cultural (Cultural Diversity Day), and Día de la Raza - is the contentious controversial commemoration of historic events that started on this day in 1492 as seen through very different lenses.
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| © Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images |
On one hand, some argue that this date was the beginning of the history of the modern American nations with the introduction of the American continent to the rest of the world. This Eurocentric view focuses on the colonizers' outlook.
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| celebrating Indigenous groups & tribal communities across the globe |
The other perspective is October 12, 1492 was the start of a process of death and subjugation of native indigenous people by European nations. This view states that celebrating the person who made that possible (Christopher Columbus) is insensitive and erroneous.
The celebration of the unique race that was created as a result of this encounter between native American cultures and European ones is called Dia de la raza and refers to raza mestiza or “mixed blood race.”
Eventually the many different cultures and traditions combined into the creation of a continent of altogether new cultures and mixed races. Both a blessing and a curse for Latin America - its dual cultural origins produce diverse and even divisive ways of approaching the same historic events.
Over here it was not until 2021 that Joe Biden formally commemorated the holiday with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.
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| acknowledge the land we are on |
Whether intrigued by the folklore of a culture (familiar or foreign) or curious about the origins and meanings of traditions (myths, legends, heritage, and history) we hope these joyful celebrations are also informative and inclusive.
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