Controversial History

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Controversial History

Reflections from within



Coming into this trip, the only knowledge I really had of Seville was a vague memory that there is an opera called “The Barber of Seville.” Other than that, I was clueless. It was truly eye opening for me that so much history took place in this city, and that it is the second most visited city in all of Spain behind Barcelona. It interested me that Christopher Columbus is very much portrayed here as a hero, but has been more recently demonized in the United States. Seeing his grave (even though they aren’t exactly sure if it belongs to him) was an eye-opening experience and caused some internal conflict. How can two nations have such different perceptions of the exact same man?



Reflections with Others



The people of Spain and specifically of Sevilla are quite proud of their nation’s history, despite its controversial qualities. I noticed this during all of the tours and specifically when Christopher Columbus was mentioned in conversation, even when discussing his mistress and illegitimate child inside of a cathedral, despite how inappropriate that may sound.



Social Controversy



The topic of Christopher Columbus is an excellent one to use in a social discussion. In recent years the United States has portrayed him as a monster who invaded a foreign land and tortured its native inhabitants. There is a lot of talk about removing Christopher Columbus Day from the calendar and replacing it with Indigenous People’s Day (which is something that I am not opposed to.) The issue of colonization and its effects on the natives is still as much of an issue today as it was in its beginning. This is an issue of racism and also the fact that some Americans are still giving credit to Columbus for discovering America as we know it in the United States even though he never actually set foot here.

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