Columbus Day, Conquest & return of Horses to the Americas

 Salvete Omnes,

today, as every  Monday close to October 12, we celebrate the national holiday known as Columbus Day to commemorate the day when the 12th of October but in 1492 the small Spanish armada, of three ships, commanded by the royal admiral Colon (Columbus) having crossed the Atlantic landed their boats in the Bahama Islands. 

Technically or more precisely, the horses arrived in the Americas a year later, during the second voyage of Columbus, in December 1493. 

Long live the Spanish horses of the Americas  and all other American horses that came after 1493.

For the indigenous peoples of the Americas the Age of Conquista (Conquest) has begun an continues to this day.. with the African and Eurasian diseases, alcoholism, death, destruction and loss of culture, language and identity. One could say that they received horses, Christianity, Western civilisational Progress,  and the final end to their cannibalism - all in return for their Americas.

Like the cowering woman before Columbus  in the sculpture below

.

Valete

Columbus Day or the Day of the Return of the Horse to America

 Salvete omnes,

today, as usually every Monday around Oct 12 we celebrate the Columbus Day or discovery of  the Americas by the Old world representatives in likes of the Spanish Admiral Cristobal Colon and his Spanish Crown fleet. 
 It was the true beginning of the so called Columbian Exchange between the Americas and the Old World. (my postings from the past on this subject - one & two)

infographics from this page as fair use only

For the Hispanic or Latino populations of the Americas this is El Dia de la Raza, and for the indigenous Americans, from Aleutian Islands to Tierra del Fuego, this important anniversary is The Day of Sorrows and Resistance. 

So perhaps horse could bridge the vast and growing gap between the past and presence, namely, as paleohorses  went extinct on the American continent but survived in Eurasia and there were domesticated by our ancestors the Proto-Indoeuropeans some 6,000 years ago, and  as Equus F. Caballus were returned by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers. 
In fact, the first horses (of the primitive Andalusian stock and perhaps offsprings of the imported hacas and local mares)  were carried on board of the Admiral's fleet and were landed  in the Caribbean horse paradise-to-be  on Colon's (2nd) second voyage (along with circa 1,500 men and wome & kids from the Spanish realms), thus the date of the arrival is actually 1493 AD, but we could celebrate the date of October 12 as the Day of Horse of Americas.

So happy Return of the Horse day or whatever you wish to celebrate, just celebrate history and learn from it. 

ps

obviously we don't know whether the Chinese, Mongols, Koreans, or later Muscovites sailed their ships to the western shores of Americas  before Columbus. The Islandic Norse sailed from Greenland to eastern shores of during the so called Vinland sagas period, but whether they left there any horse it is unknown. Also it is unknown whether the the traders and fishermen from southern France and northern Spain, who sailed to the bays and inlets of the eastern New England and Canada in the XV century prior to 1492AD,  brought with them any horses. But it is highly unlikely -  but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence (Carl Sagan). 
Valete