DNA study confirms Christopher Columbus' remains are buried in Seville | Spain

Scientists in Spain claim to have solved the two lingering mysteries surrounding Christopher Columbus more than five centuries after the explorer's death: Do the well-traveled remains buried in a magnificent tomb in Seville Cathedral really belong to him? And was the sailor who changed the course of world history really from Genoa – as history has long claimed – or was he actually Basque, Catalan, Galician, Greek, Portuguese and perhaps of Jewish descent?

The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second question is: wait until Saturday.

The posthumous travels of his body have not helped longstanding and often competing theories. Although Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid in 1506, he wanted to be buried on the island of Hispaniola, now divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic. His remains were brought there in 1542, transferred to Cuba in 1795, and then taken to Seville in 1898 when Spain lost control of Cuba following the Spanish-American War.

On Thursday, forensic doctor José Antonio Lorente said after two decades of DNA testing and research that the incomplete remains in Seville Cathedral are indeed those of Columbus.

“Today, thanks to new technology, the previous partial theory that the remains in Seville are those of Christopher Columbus has been finally confirmed,” said the expert who led the study at the University of Granada. The conclusion was made by comparing DNA samples from the tomb with others taken from one of Columbus' brothers, Diego, and his son Fernando.

The more complicated question of the explorer's exact origins will be resolved in “Columbus DNA: His True Origin,” a special television program that will be shown on Saturday, October 12, the day on which Spain celebrates its national holiday and Columbus' Arrival in the New World is remembered.

While countless claims have been made about where the Navigator came from – theories include Italy, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France, Greece, Scotland and a handful of different Spanish regions – the program makers insist they now have the answer.

“Twenty-five possible origins and eight finalists, but there can only be one,” Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said in a statement.

Lorente, who called the investigation “very complicated,” remained tight-lipped about the conclusions. “There are some really important results – results that will help us with numerous studies and analyzes that should be evaluated by historians,” he told reporters on Thursday.

However, he had previously made it quite clear that he believed Columbus was Genoese, saying in 2021: “There is no doubt on our part (of his Italian origins), but we can provide objective data that… a number of existing ones Be able to conclude theories.” .”

The scientist also pointed out that parts of Columbus could still be in the Caribbean. In 1877, excavations at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic uncovered a small lead box containing bone fragments that read: “Famous and distinguished man, Christopher Columbus.” These remains are now at the Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse) monument ) buried in Santo Domingo Este.

Lorente said that since both sets of bones were incomplete, both could belong to the discoverer.

While the fascination with Columbus, as the program and the associated hype suggest, remains unbroken, the controversy surrounding his legacy is also increasing.

In 2015, Ada Colau, then mayor of Barcelona, ​​joined the many representatives of the Spanish left who denounced the October 12 celebrations. “It’s a shame that a nation celebrates a genocide with a military parade that costs 800,000 euros.” she tweeted.

José María González Santos, then mayor of Cádiz, agreed. “We never discovered America, we massacred and oppressed a continent and its cultures in the name of God,” he said. “Nothing to celebrate.”

Four years ago, a Columbus statue in Richmond, Virginia, was torn down, set on fire and thrown into a lake. A sign reading “Columbus represents genocide” was then placed on the spray-painted foundation where the figure once stood.