How did Christopher Columbus contribute to the mythologizing or de-mythologizing of America?

Christopher Columbus played an essential role in defining how the newly discovered Americas would be seen by Europeans. His original intention was to find a new route to India. He thought this was possible due to a mathematical error on his part; if not for the previously undiscovered continent he miraculously ran into, he and his crew would have died at sea. Unfortunately, Columbus's approach to the Americas was to cover up the fact that he had failed to reach India. Hence, Native Americans are routinely referred to as "Indians" even today. Additionally, the cultures of the "new" world were very different from what Europeans were used to. Because of the tropical climate, the indigenous people wore little clothing. Columbus interpreted this as nakedness tied to poverty, because the European custom was to be fully covered. He also described the people he met as almost entirely consisting of young boys, because they didn't have facial hair as the Europeans did. In his "Diario de Abordo" (onboard diary), Columbus noted that they would make "good and intelligent servants" and otherwise described them as easily converted to Christianity. Columbus paints the indigenous people as simple and uncivilized, and these ideas about Native Americans carried on into the accounts of others and shaped European perspectives about the New World.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/diarioofchristophercolombus.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus/The-first-voyage