During October each year, we are reminded about the “discovery” of the New World. As a child, I always wondered how our lands could have been discovered if there were people already living in them. But, thanks to our educational system, I got used to referring to Columbus Day as the discovery of America — and by America I mean the New World: North and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

My books in elementary school depicted Christopher Columbus as the man who proved that the world was not flat but round. He was presented as a peacemaker and as the person who brought Christianity to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was also presented as a great navigator.

But, sometime after I was done with elementary school, his story began to change.

Obviously, Columbus did not discover America. Not only were there people already living in the Americas, but he didn’t even realize that he had reached a New World. He died believing that he had sailed to the Indies and other parts of Asia. He wasn’t even the first European to arrive to the Western Hemisphere, since it is recognized that the Vikings sailed to parts of North America during the 11th century.

Columbus did not prove that the world was round instead of flat. By the time Columbus sailed to the Americas, most people on that side of the world understood that our planet was round. And although it wasn’t clear how far the European shores were from the Indies, at that time some people had calculated the circumference of the Earth.

The first indigenous people that Columbus encountered were the Ta¡nos. He mentioned that they were peaceful, innocent and friendly. However, according to Wikipedia, two days after his arrival to the New World, he was already thinking about enslaving these peoples, whether it was by bringing them to Spain or subjugating them in their own lands — something he thought was possible with only 50 of his men.

On his second voyage, he proposed that the Spanish king and queen enslave indigenous people, but they refused since Spain had urged him to maintain friendly relations with the natives in order to promote Christianity. Still, Columbus took with him 1,600 Ta¡nos to be kept as slaves for him and his men.

His main goal was to search for gold, so, in what is now Haiti, he set up a quota system. Those who were older than 14 had to find a certain amount of gold. If they didn’t meet the quota, their hands would be chopped off.

This is the man we celebrate every October. A man who, for many, symbolizes ambition and the beginning of Christian faith in the West. But for others, like different indigenous groups in the Americas, he symbolizes genocide and the destruction of their cultures.

Native groups all over North and South America agree that Columbus left a legacy of genocide and colonization on the two continents.

Although there is nothing we can do about the past, we can do something about our present.

If we are to continue celebrating Columbus Day, let’s not forget what really happened in 1492. Let’s start teaching the truth about Columbus’ trip with La Ni¤a, La Pinta and La Santa Mar¡a.