Columbus holiday in Latin America revives centuries-old historical debate

Argentina's President Milei post praises Columbus for bringing enlightenment to the Americas, sparking heated debates across Latin America.

An Argentine claim that European contact brought civilization to the Americas has provoked rebukes from across Latin America, where heated debates often flare up over the era's contested historical legacy.

Commemorating Christopher Columbus' landing in the Americas on October 12, 1492, the office of Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei posted on social media on Saturday (October 12, 2024) that the Italian explorer's arrival introduced enlightenment to the region.

"It marked the beginning of civilization in the American continent," the post boasted, accompanied by a slick video set to triumphant music.

The post argues that Columbus "opened a new era of progress," while many who agreed online pointed to human sacrifice as practiced by some native cultures as a clear example of cruelty European colonizers fought against.

Columbus' arrival in the present-day Bahamas led to centuries of Spanish and Portuguese domination of a region stretching from much of today's United States to near Antarctica.

The conquests and subsequent colonial experience have long generated impassioned debate. Many Latin American leaders now embrace a more critical view, acknowledging the abuses committed, including massacres, forced labor and widespread looting.

Columbus, traditionally thought to have been from Genoa, Italy, was a Sephardic Jew from somewhere in Western Europe, Spanish scientists said on Saturday after a 22-year investigation using DNA analysis.