Photo via U.S. Embassy.
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Published on Monday,
October 14, 2024
By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The
United States Embassy and Consular Section
are closed on Monday to commemorate
Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) Day.
According to historical records, Portuguese explorers began traveling south down the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa around 1420, delivering land resources such as gold, spices, and other items from Africa and Asia to Europe. Instead of traveling around the vast continent of Africa as the Portuguese did, Christopher Columbus, born in Genoa, Italy, believed he might find a more direct path by heading west. The Italian explorer, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean seeking for a speedier path to the Far East and accidentally arrived in the New World. Thinking he had reached Asia on October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on an island present-day Bahamas. Continuing the voyage, he spotted the current territory of Cuba, assuming it was China. For the next few months, Columbus sailed and explored the Caribbean islands in search of riches to bring back to Spain. Columbus arrived on what is now Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast on September 25, 1502, on his fourth and last journey. In his dispatches known as "the Jamaica Letters," he referred to the region as "Veragua." He collected handcrafted gold presents from the local natives, spreading the belief that this region was a wealthy coast, giving rise to the country's current name, Costa Rica.
---------------- Does your community commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day or Columbus Day? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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