Editing Columbus Day (section)

=== Columbus's legacy ===
[[File:Santo Domingo.El Faro a Colón.20170402.jpg|thumb|The [[Columbus Lighthouse]] in [[Santo Domingo Este]], Dominican Republic]]
In December 1937, Cuban president Federico Laredo Brú and [[Dominican Republic]] president [[Rafael Trujillo]] ordered a crew of aviators to travel through Latin America collecting funds from large capital cities for a monumental light house in the Dominican Republic. The exploration ''Escuadrilla Binacional Pro Faro de Colón'' was inspired by Columbus's journey across the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]] to America. The expedition consisted of three [[Stinson Reliant| Stinson Reliant SR-9s]]  borrowed from the [[Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force|Cuban Air Force]] – named ''[[Santa María (ship)|Santa María]]'', ''[[Niña (ship)|Niña]]'' and ''[[Pinta (ship)|Pinta]]'' after the vessels commanded by Columbus – and a [[Curtiss-Wright CW-19|Curtiss Wright CW-19R]] from the [[Military of Dominica|Dominican military]] aviation named ''Colon'' after Columbus. On December 15, after visiting a majority of South America, their flight to the Peruvian capital [[Lima]] was hampered by an unexpected sandstorm. Two planes (''Colon'' and ''La Pinta'') were forced to land in [[Pisco, Peru|Pisco]] and ''Niña'' disappeared in the storm. The ''Santa Maria'' was the only plane to reach Lima as planned, landing at [[Las Palmas Air Base|Las Palmas]] on the day of the storm. After extensive searches, ''Niña'' radioed their whereabouts after their radio was damaged in the storm. The aircraft restrategized in Las Palmas, and on December 29 their expedition took off from El Techo airport in [[Bogotá]] en route to El Guabito airport in [[Cali]]. Later that day, the crew flew into an unexpected storm over the Valley of Cauca. With minimal visibility and poor navigation, ''Niña'', ''La Pinta'', and ''Santa Maria'' crashed into high mountains, while ''Colon'', unaware of the other aircraft, flew over the storm and safely made it to Panama City. The plane is preserved today as remembrance of the bravery of the crew and Christopher Columbus's journey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://alasandinas.wordpress.com/2018/06/06/escuadrilla-pro-faro-de-colon-in-peru-english/|title=Escuadrilla Pro Faro de Colón in Peru (English)|date=June 6, 2018 |website=Alas Andinas|language=es-ES|access-date=December 8, 2018}}</ref>

In 1992, in remembrance of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, the [[Columbus Lighthouse]], in [[Santo Domingo Este]] was inaugurated. The monument is both a [[mausoleum]] and a [[museum]] showcasing objects including a boat from Cuba and Colombian<!---Colombian---> jewelry. Constructed of [[concrete]], the monument is {{convert|680|ft|m}} long.<ref name=tal>{{Citation
  | last = Jacobs
  | first = Karrie 
  | title = World's Strangest Buildings
  | newspaper = [[Travel + Leisure]]
  | date = April 2010
  | url = http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-buildings/6
  | access-date = 2010-04-25}}
</ref> Its architecture is cross-shaped and represents the Christianization of the Americas. According to Dominican authorities, Columbus' remains are sheltered at the lighthouse. Spanish authorities proved through DNA tests that remains in the [[Cathedral of Seville]] were his and Dominican authorities have not allowed the same, so whether the sets are related remains unknown.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20121107-the-mystery-of-christopher-columbuss-legacy|title=The mystery of Christopher Columbus's legacy|last=Sood|first=Suemedha|date=November 9, 2012 |language=en|access-date=2018-09-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/01/19/dna-testing-of-skeleton-may-prove-christopher-columbus-was-really-portuguese/#7f9f5075c829|title=DNA Testing Of Skeleton May Prove Christopher Columbus Was Really Portuguese|last=Killgrove|first=Kristina|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-09-19|language=en}}</ref>