The Spanish and Portuguese used the term “Indio” to refer to the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. Columbus’s expedition was in search of India, and since he believed that Watling Island, which he reached on October 12, 1492, was actually an offshore island of India in Asia, he called the population encountered there “Indios.” With his famous letter of February 1493 [2. 140]; [9], the term took hold in the Spanish kingdoms. The Spanis…