For all of his accolades in the 13th Century, Christopher Columbus has had rough seas here in the 21st Century, as indigenous groups and many in the general public have begun to call for a change to the holiday that tends to skew towards highlighting the Italian culture more than the explorer himself.

Add Mayor Carlo DeMaria to the list of defenders of the holiday, which took place on Monday, Oct. 8. In a point/counterpoint Globe piece last week, Mayor DeMaria represented the pro-Columbus side of things, arguing that the holiday and Columbus was a point of pride for him going back to his days in elementary school.