Columbus: Hero or Villian

In my opinion, Columbus was more a hero than a villian, but not a full-fledged hero either. He was credited with discovering the new world, hence the holiday that we have named after him. He was not believed, however to be the original and sole discoverer of America. There are disputes but there are the Vikings and the Chinese, along with many others, who lay claim to discovering America. He was the most commonly known one, therefore he is commonly given the title of discovering America. These traits lead him to be a hero around the world, but there are things that he did that connotate villiany. While he was in the New World, his soldiers killed innocent Indians, raped there women; all in the lust for gold. Unknowingly, he also introduced major diseases to the New World and the Indians, such as smallpox.