Visiting Christopher Columbus’ Tomb Was a Buzzkill
I loved traveling to Spain, but the veneration of a colonizer gave me a wake-up call about my identity
Columbus Day weekend happened to fall during my three-week trip to Seville. Spain is a country that has become a yearly stop for me. Despite there being many places in the world to explore, the country’s rich culture, expansive cuisine, and new friends have inspired me to return again and again. I’ve experienced Spain as a married woman, a solo traveler, a former vegetarian, and a writer. But this time was different.
My boyfriend came with me for the first week of the trip, and since it was his first visit to Seville, he wanted to see some of the popular tourist sites. We wandered the gardens with Moorish influences at the Real Alcázar and experienced a sunset at Plaza de España. We then proceeded to the Cathedral of Seville, the third-largest cathedral in Europe. The ceilings were high and the altars impressive.
It’s also home to Christopher Columbus’ tomb — well, one of his tombs. Being at the home of this shrine to Columbus on a holiday named after him didn’t sit well with me. As an American of Dominican descent, I thought about my birth mother, abuela, and relatives who have experienced the effects of Columbus’ landing generations…
