Columbus
technically sailing for Castille in 1492; goal was to reach the Orient by traveling west
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who is widely credited with discovering the New World, which is now known as the Americas. He set sail on his first voyage in 1492, with the intention of finding a new route to trade goods with the East Indies. Instead, he landed on the island of Guanahani in the Caribbean, which he named San Salvador.
Columbus made a total of four voyages to the Americas, and he also explored parts of Central and South America. His voyages were significant because they opened up new trade routes and led to the exchange of people, plants, animals, and ideas across the Atlantic. However, his arrival also had a devastating impact on the indigenous peoples of the Americas, who were subjected to enslavement, forced labor, and diseases brought over by the Europeans.
There is ongoing debate about Columbus’s legacy, with some arguing that he played a crucial role in world history, while others criticize his treatment of the indigenous peoples and the long-lasting effects of European colonization. Nevertheless, Columbus remains an important figure in the history of the Americas, and his arrival is commemorated in many Latin American countries as Día de la Raza or Columbus Day.
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