columbus santa maria, 1991
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Is this really Christopher Columbus’ ship? Why was it here? 

• This is a full-size replica (copy) of the Santa Maria, built for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the “New World” (1492).

​Editor's Note: The replica ship has been removed. 

Why was the term “Indian” given to the peoples of North, Central, and South America?

• The term “Indian” was used to describe the many tribes who lived in the Americas. Although many people would have guessed that Columbus had not reached India, no one in Europe was quite sure where Columbus was.  Even after others later explored the coast of North America, many explorers and mapmakers assumed that North America was made up of islands or small pieces of land—certainly not a very large continent like North America! The term “Indian” or “American Indian” continued to be used to describe the original inhabitants of the continent. Canadians do not use the term “Indian” but use the term “First Peoples.”

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