Why was Columbus portrayed as a hero?

by ya-boi-bobby-hill

According to Wikipedia, Columbus and several of his men were jailed for crimes against the natives, and he was replaced from his position as governor when he was released. So, I'm assuming that the Spanish weren't to fond of Columbus (correct me if I'm wrong), so why did he get a holiday? What reasoning did people have to immortalize a criminal admiral?

Searocksandtrees

Hi, not discouraging others from answering here, but you might be interested in this earlier answer from /u/georgy_k_zhukov