Columbus Day has a number of different names in the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain and Ecuador it is currently known as El Día de la Hispanidad (Day of Spanishness), in Mexico as the Día de la Raza (Day of the Race), in Chile as El Día del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos (The Day of the Discovery of Two Worlds), and in Uruguay as El Día de las Americas (The Day of the Americas). In Venezuela, the day has been known as El Día de la Resistencia Indígena (The Day of Indigenous Resistance) since 2002.

The year 1492 is not just famous because of Christopher Columbus. In 1492 the reconquista (reconquest) was completed. After ruling for almost 700 years, the Moors were defeated and the entire Iberian Peninsula was brought under Christian rule.

Columbus Day Vocabulary

El almirante – Admiral
El ancla – anchor
Anclar – to anchor
Las Antillas – West Indies
Artracar – to place a ship alongside a pier. This verb also means to rob someone. An atraco is a robbery.
La Bitácora – ship’s log
La brújula – compass
El capitán – captain
Capitanear – To captain
Carabela – caravel or a small Spanish or Portuguese sailing vessel of the Middle Ages and later, with two or three masts. Columbus’ ships, La pinta, La Niña and the Santa María, are examples of a caravel.
El Caribe – Caribbean
El cartógrafo – cartographer or map maker
El catalejo – spyglass
Cristóbal Colón – Christopher Columbus
La corriente – current (wind or ocean)
La cubierta – deck
El descubridor – discoverer
El descubrimiento _ discovery
Descubrir – to discover
El encordaje – rigging
El estribor – starboard
Las especias – Spices
Estibador – deckhand
El grumete – cabin boy
Ir a tierra or pisar tierra – go ashore or set foot on land
La isla – island
Las Islas Canarias – Canary Islands
Latitud – latitude
Longitud – longitude
Levar ancla – to weigh anchor or set sail
El mar- sea
El mascarón de proa – figurehead on the front of a ship
El marino or marinero – sailor
Marinero (adjective) – seaworthy
El mástil -mast
La nave – ship
Navegar –to navigate
El nuevo mundo – New World
Océano Atlántico – Atlantic Ocean
La popa – stern of a boat
La proa – bow of a boat
El puente – the bridge of a ship
La tierra firme – mainland
La tormenta – storm
La tripulación – crew
La torre de vigía – crows nest
El timón – helm or rudder
La travesía or viaje por mar -voyage
La vela – sail
Los vientos alisios -trade winds
Zarpar -set sail

Tiquismos (Tico talk) of the week :

La chorpa means jail. El tarro (the can) and el tavo are also slang for jail. La cárcel is the correct word for jai.