Spanish TV documentary sheds light on Columbus's mysterious background

In an article published by The Guardian, the enduring mystery surrounding Christopher Columbus's origins has taken a new turn, thanks to a groundbreaking Spanish TV documentary that utilized DNA analysis.

The long-standing debate surrounding Christopher Columbus's nationality has been clarified by scientists through DNA analysis, as revealed in a Spanish TV documentary.

According to the program Columbus DNA: His True Origin, aired on RTVE to coincide with Spain's national day and the commemoration of Columbus's arrival in the New World, the 15th-century explorer was Jewish and originally from Spain. A research team led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente examined small samples from remains believed to be Columbus’s, interred in Seville Cathedral, which has been recognized as his burial site despite competing claims.

They compared these samples with those from known relatives and descendants. For centuries, nations have disputed the origins and final resting place of Christopher Columbus, the controversial figure who led Spanish-funded expeditions starting in the 1490s, paving the way for the European colonization of the Americas. Many historians have challenged the conventional belief that Columbus hailed from Genoa in northwestern Italy, proposing alternative theories suggesting he could have been a Spanish Jew, Greek, Basque, or Portuguese.  

Miguel Lorente, who spoke to reporters about the research on Thursday, confirmed earlier claims that the remains found in Seville belonged to the explorer. He stated, “Today, we have used new technologies to definitively confirm that the remains in Seville are indeed Christopher Columbus’s.”

He also noted that while the research into his nationality was complex due to the vast amount of data, the results are "almost absolutely reliable." Columbus passed away at the age of 55 in Valladolid, Spain, in 1506, but he expressed a desire to be buried on the island of Hispaniola, which is now divided between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. His remains were transported there in 1542, then moved to Cuba in 1795, and eventually, it was believed they were brought to Seville in 1898.  

In 1877, workers discovered a lead casket behind the altar of a cathedral in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic's capital, which contained bone fragments that the country claims are Columbus's remains. Lorente mentioned that both claims could be valid since both sets of bones are incomplete.

By Naila Huseynova