Christopher Columbus was a terrible person.
He was even considered a terrible person by the standards of his time so the whole "don't judge him by modern standards" argument doesn't really apply to him.
He was significantly more brutal and exploitative towards the natives than most Spanish colonialists, and he was excessively cruel even toward the Spaniards under him, to the point where the King of Spain eventually got tired of his shit and threw him in jail.
He was also a terrible navigator whose plan to reach Asia would have resulted in him and his men starving to death if there hadn't conveniently been an extra continent in his way.
I'm not condemning everyone who was born before the 20th century. I still admire George Washington and idolize Thomas Jefferson for their enormous contributions in fighting against colonial imperialism and advancing the cause of human liberty, despite the fact that they owned slaves. But Columbus was a monster even when compared to Spanish conquistadors like Cortez.
