Discovery of America Day, also known as Columbus Day, is observed annually on October 6 in Honduras. It commemorates the day Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas and ushered in a new era in the region. October 12 is the traditional date for this holiday. However, Latin American countries have since celebrated October 12 as “Dia de la Raza” (Day of the Race), shifting the emphasis from commemorating Columbus’ arrival to celebrating the original American races and cultures. Thus, it has become a day honoring the Hispanic cultures that existed on the continent prior to the advent of Christopher Columbus.
The background of Honduras: Discovery of America Day
Columbus Day is commemorated in the United States and numerous Latin American nations as the day Christopher Columbus “discovered” North America and paved the way for European contact. However, the name of the day is controversial in Latin America due to the implications of Christopher Columbus’s presence in the region. The 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas is regarded as the beginning of European exploration and subsequent colonization of the Americas.
In March 1914, President Francisco Bertrand Barahona of Honduras established Columbus Day in accordance with the ideology of Ibero-American Union leader Faustino Rodrguez-San Pedro. Rodrguez-San Pedro desired to establish a holiday honoring Spain’s ties to Latin America. The purpose was to commemorate the advent of a new age and identity as a result of the fusion of native Latin American and Spanish cultures, which Columbus sparked.
” This is a result of the turbulent history that Europeans such as Christopher Columbus wrought in the region, which included the conquest and attempted eradication of native Latin American culture, the sale of many natives into slavery, and the infliction of suffering on natives under their rule.
In many Latin American nations, including Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, the holiday is now known as “Da de la Raza,” or Day of the Race. In Latin America, the focus of the holiday has shifted from commemorating the arrival of Europeans to honoring the indigenous pre-Columbian cultures that existed before.
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5 INCREDIBLE FACTS ABOUT COLUMBUS’ ADVENTURES
In the sixth to third century B.C., Greek mathematicians had already established that the Earth is spherical, so Columbus did not embark on his first voyage in 1492 to prove the Earth’s spherical shape.
Columbus did not arrive on the North American continent during his voyage of 1492; rather, he landed on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas.
Columbus never set foot in what is now the United States, as his expeditions focused on the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Vikings and Celts had arrived on the continent centuries before Columbus, so it cannot be said that he was the first European to discover the Americas.
Columbus was convinced until the end of his life that he had reached Asia, not the Americas.
HONDURAS: DISCOVERY OF AMERICA DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | October 6 | Friday |
2024 | October 6 | Sunday |
2025 | October 6 | Monday |
2026 | October 6 | Tuesday |
2027 | October 6 | Wednesday |