October 12, 1492, marks a pivotal date in world history, the day Christopher Columbus’s expedition across the Atlantic Ocean culminated in landfall in what Europeans termed the “New World.” But precisely Where Did Columbus Land on that momentous day? The answer lies in a place he named San Salvador, an island now part of the beautiful archipelago of the Bahamas.
While Columbus embarked on his voyage believing he had charted a novel westward route to India, his ships actually reached a previously uncharted island in the Americas. Mistakenly believing he was in the East Indies, he called the native inhabitants “Indians,” a name that persisted. Regardless of this geographical miscalculation, Columbus’s landing initiated a transformative era of European exploration and colonization across the American continents.
Today, the United States observes “Columbus Day” annually on the second Monday of October as a federal holiday. This commemoration sparks ongoing dialogues about the Age of Exploration, its profound consequences, and the injustices endured by indigenous populations. For many in the US, however, it simply signifies an extended weekend during the early autumn season.
Columbus Day in the U.S. serves as an annual reminder of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World on October 12, 1492, specifically at San Salvador Island, also known historically as Waitling Island, now within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It’s important to acknowledge that Columbus was not the first European to navigate the Atlantic successfully. Norse Vikings are believed to have established a short-lived settlement in Newfoundland centuries earlier, and various theories suggest other pre-Columbian European landings. However, it was Columbus’s voyage that initiated sustained interaction between Europe and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere, irrevocably changing the course of history.
Several countries commemorate this historical encounter with their own holidays. Discovery Day is celebrated in both The Bahamas and Colombia, while Spain observes Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Day), and much of Latin America marks Día de la Raza (Day of the Race). In the United States, the observance of Columbus Day shifted from the fixed date of October 12 to the second Monday in October in 1971, a congressional decision intended to create a convenient long weekend for workers. Within the U.S., Columbus Day often serves as a celebration of Italian and Italian-American heritage, reflecting Columbus’s Genoese origins in Italy.
In the late 15th century, Portugal was at the forefront of establishing a sea route to India by sailing around Africa. Driven by a desire to bypass Portuguese dominance, Queen Isabella I of Spain supported Columbus’s westward expedition, aimed at reaching India by sailing west. This ambitious plan was predicated on the understanding, common among educated individuals of the time, that the Earth was spherical. Columbus’s enduring achievement lies in his persuasive ability to convince Isabella to fund this perilous and highly speculative voyage.
Columbus embarked in August 1492 with a crew of 90 men aboard three ships: the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta. After five weeks sailing westward, the expedition sighted land on October 12. Columbus, convinced he had reached the East Indies, referred to the inhabitants as “Indians,” a term that would become historically entrenched despite its geographical inaccuracy.
Columbus undertook three subsequent voyages to the Americas, yet he remained under the impression that he had discovered a new passage to India and Asia, never realizing he had encountered continents previously unknown to Europeans – North and South America.
Given that the United States emerged from British colonization rather than Spanish claims initiated by Columbus, the early United States did not widely celebrate Columbus’s “discovery.” However, commemorative ceremonies were held on the 300th and 400th anniversaries of his initial landing.
Italian immigrants played a significant role in popularizing the annual celebration of Columbus Day in U.S. cities with large Italian communities. This was partly to honor their heritage, given Columbus’s Italian identity. Both New York City (1866) and San Francisco (1868) lay claim to hosting the earliest Italian-American Columbus Day celebrations. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially declared Columbus Day a national holiday, initially set for October 12 each year.
In recent times, numerous localities, including Berkeley, California, have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. This change reflects a movement to honor the native inhabitants of the lands where Columbus landed and acknowledge the impact of European colonization on indigenous populations. South Dakota has renamed the holiday Native American Day, and Alabama observes a combined Columbus Day and American Indian Heritage Day. In Hawaii, it is known as Discovery Day.
U.S. federal government offices and most banks are closed on Columbus Day. However, schools and the majority of American businesses typically remain open. Cities like New York City and Denver continue to host vibrant Columbus Day parades, marking over five centuries since the appearance of Columbus’s ships off the coast of a small Caribbean island – San Salvador, the answer to where did Columbus land, and a site forever linked to the onset of European engagement with the Americas.
For further exploration, resources such as the Library of Congress websites offer online exhibitions like 1492: An Ongoing Voyage and Exploring the Early Americas.
Additional information can be found in the Columbus Day (PDF, 396KB) document available on the U.S. Embassy website.
