“Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) is a hero to many people. You can tell by the heroic bronze statues of the 15th century explorer to be found in many countries. I’ve seen them in Spain, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and, oh yes; the USA. Well, he discovered America…at least that’s what I was taught in elementary school. When I was in the Canary Islands, I was shown the chapel where he prayed the night before he set sail for Asia. Imagine his confusion when he discovered many borders, with many indigenous peoples; none of whom spoke Japanese. They must have gasped at the 3 naval war vessels…y’know: La Niña, La Pinta y La Santa María. After 4 sorties, the destruction and plunder of the native civilizations by the navigator yielded nothing heroic in the eyes of the Taíno. And yet…there’s all those statues.”

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