Upon his arrival in 1492, Columbus immediately began to subjugate the indigenous Taino people. In a 1493 letter to Spain’s rulers, Columbus expressed that with as few as 50 men, "we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want” (Columbus, Letter to the Sovereigns, 1493). His words foreshadowed the horrors that would unfold as he and his men captured and enslaved thousands of natives, including children, forcing them into labor and shipping many to Europe as slaves. Within just a few years, the Taino population had been utterly decimated by rape, violence, forced labor, and disease.
Columbus's role in the sexual exploitation of indigenous women and underage girls is equally damning. According to Michele de Cuneo, one of Columbus’s own men, Columbus personally gifted him an underage Taino girl as a sexual slave. Cuneo wrote in a letter that the girl "was unwilling, and so I treated her badly," describing how he then raped her (Letter of Michele de Cuneo, 1495). This account reflects the broader pattern of sexual violence and exploitation that took place under Columbus’s rule, as women and underage girls were systematically abused by his men.
Columbus himself was known to take personal slaves, including underage girls and boys. Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish priest who witnessed these events, documented that Columbus enslaved numerous women and underage girls for his own household, in addition to allowing widespread sexual abuse among his crew (Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies). Women, particularly young girls, were targeted as prizes, subjected to violent assaults, and forced into slavery.
Under Columbus’s governance, the Taino people were also subjected to cruel forced labor in the search for gold. Those who failed to meet quotas often faced brutal punishments, including mutilation and execution. Las Casas documented how Columbus's rule led to the "total destruction" of the Taino, a peaceful and docile civilization that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. He described the atrocities as part of a systematic campaign of terror, where "the Spaniards killed without restraint" and left an entire population "consumed by toil, starvation, and death."
Columbus’s reign of terror in the Caribbean not only ushered in a wave of colonial brutality but also set a tragic precedent for the enslavement of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. His actions directly contributed to the transatlantic slave trade, and his name became synonymous with oppression and exploitation.
While Columbus Day has traditionally been celebrated as a moment to honor exploration, we must confront the full scope of Columbus's legacy. His expeditions brought violence, underage sex-trafficking, enslavement, and genocide to the indigenous people of the Caribbean, and his actions left a trail of devastation that would echo for centuries. Celebrating Columbus Day without acknowledging these truths is to ignore the painful history of colonization and the suffering endured by millions of people.
As we reflect on this so-called holiday, let us rather honor the lives and cultures that were destroyed in the wake of Columbus’s arrival. His legacy, far from being heroic, is a sobering reminder of the brutal history of colonization, one that should never be forgotten.
Sources:
- Columbus, Letter to the Sovereigns, 1493.
- Michele de Cuneo, Letter of Michele de Cuneo, 1495.
- Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies.
Article by Jacob Loyd