Columbus Day Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a faster route to the New World. His first voyage to the New World on the Spanish ships the Santa María, Niña"," and La Pinta took approximately three months. Columbus and his crew's arrival to the New World initiated the Columbian Exchange which introduced the transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile As of January 1, 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reported 563,689 members in 74 stakes and 23 districts, 620 congregations (421 wards and 199 branches), nine missions, and one temple in Chile. The LDS Church has been established in Chile for over sixty years. The church experienced some periods of rapid expansion during that time, becoming, by some estimates, the second largest church in the country. Early apostle Parley P. Pratt was among the first Mormon missionaries to preach in Chile, landing in Valparaiso