Columbus Day Round-Up: A Replica of His Ship Sank Off the Coast of Mexico

It's Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples' Day depending on which side of that debate you're on.

 

 

The White House is definitely Team Columbus.  President Trump issued a proclamation reversing Biden's move to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day alongside it.

 

 

It calls Columbus the "original American hero" and blasts people who've tried to, quote, "destroy his name and dishonor his memory." There's obviously been a heated debate about Columbus for a while now.

 

 

The White House statement talks about how he "opened the vast frontier and untold splendors of the New World to Europe," and how he explored the coasts of the Caribbean while, quote, "engaging with their people."

 

 

Critics would argue that "engagement" included a little too much torture and murder.

 

Either way, the proclamation doesn't actually change the slate of federal holidays. Columbus Day has been one since 1971. Indigenous Peoples' Day has never been a federal holiday, but some cities and states recognize it.

 

 

In other Columbus Day News:  A replica of one of his ships just sank off the coast of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico on Friday. It was a hot attraction for tourists for over 30 years.

 

 

It launched in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of Columbus's trip. It was based on his main ship, the Santa Maria.  Officials said there was an issue with the pumps, and it started taking on water.

 

 

The fact that it sank is sad . . . but in a weird way, also authentic. The real Santa Maria ALSO sank on Christmas Day in 1492. 

 

 

It happened off the coast of modern-day Haiti. Columbus was sleeping when the cabin boy let it drift into a sandbank. The wood was used to build a fort.

 

 

There's footage of the replica going down on Friday, and it happened fast. Once it tipped, it only took about 30 seconds. But all the crewmembers made it off, so everyone's okay. 

 

Read More HERE, HERE


View Full Site