Does South America Celebrate Columbus Day?

No, South America does not celebrate "Columbus Day" as a general holiday. The observance is primarily a United States federal holiday (second Monday in October) and, in varied forms, in some other countries of the Americas.

What South America Observes Instead

• Día de la Raza ("Day of the Race") — October 12: Celebrated in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela. Focus: Hispanic heritage, mestizaje (mixed Indigenous-European identity).
• Día de la Resistencia Indígena ("Day of Indigenous Resistance") — Venezuela (since 2002), Nicaragua.
• Día de la Diversidad Cultural ("Cultural Diversity Day") — Argentina (since 2010).
• Día del Encuentro de Dos Mundos ("Meeting of Two Worlds") — Chile.
• Día de las Américas ("Day of the Americas") — Panama, others (April 14).
• No official holiday — Brazil (focus on April 22, Discovery of Brazil by Cabral); Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana.

Why Not "Columbus Day"?

• Columbus never reached mainland South America (third voyage, 1498, touched Venezuela/Orinoco—briefly).
• Indigenous movements since 1990s reclaimed October 12 as mourning/resistance.
• National identities built on mestizaje or Indigenous pride, not Columbian "discovery."

Spain and Italy

• Spain: Fiesta Nacional de España (Oct 12) — national day, not "Columbus Day."
• Italy: No national holiday; some local events (Genoa, his birthplace).

The U.S. "Columbus Day" reflects Italian-American lobbying (late 19th/early 20th c.)—not a pan-American tradition.