Columbus's name in the space of American collettive memory: from consecration to desecration

Christopher Columbus used to be represented as an intrepid explorer who, by discovering America, marked the beginning of the modern age. Recently, the sacrality associated with his name has been challenged as a result of the increas- ing emphasis laid on the Native Americans’ perspective, whereby Columbus, once dei ed, has recently o en been vili ed. is paper focuses on the role Columbus’s name has played in the space of American collective memory with an interest in Columbus Day, a national holi- day since 1937, which in the last twenty- ve years has been renamed as Indigenous People’s Day in many cities across the United States, drawing a scenario where the holiday name is shaping di erent versions of the past.