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https://theconversation.com/columbus-who-decolonizing-the-calendar-in-latin-america-233307>
"This is the season of patriotism in Latin America as many countries
commemorate their independence from colonial powers. From July to September,
public plazas in countries from Mexico to Honduras and Chile fill with crowds
dressed and painted in national colors, parades feature participants costumed
as independence heroes, fireworks fill the skies, and schoolchildren reenact
historical battles.
Beneath these nationalist displays ripples an uneasy tide: the colonial
legacies that still tie the Americas to their Iberian conquerors. And as the
calendar turns to October, another holiday highlights similar tensions –
Columbus Day.
The U.S. has observed the holiday since 1937, commemorating the explorer’s 1492
arrival in the New World. The second Monday of the month remains a federal
holiday, even as many states and cities rename it “Indigenous Peoples Day,”
rejecting Christopher Columbus as a symbol of imperialism.
Most Latin Americans, meanwhile, know Oct. 12 as “Día de la Raza,” or Day of
the Race, which also celebrates Columbus’ arrival in the New World and the tide
of Iberian conquistadors that followed. But commemorating the event is all the
more charged in these countries, home to the Spanish Empire’s most lucrative
territorial assets and sweeping spiritual conquests. Days before taking office
in September 2024, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her
predecessor’s demand that the king of Spain apologize for the genocide and
exploitation of the conquest 500 years ago.
As a historian of Latin America, I’ve paid attention to the ways calendars
signal a nation’s “official” values and how countries wrestle with these
holidays’ meanings."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
