Remains of Christopher Columbus buried in Seville are ‘definitely’ his, study says

Yes, the incomplete remains of the explorer, Spanish by flag but Genoese by birth, buried in the cathedral of Seville, in Spain, are indeed his, reports The Guardian . This is what Spanish scientists said on Thursday, after two decades of research and DNA tests carried out on Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) who opened the way to the West Indies for Europeans.

“Today, thanks to new technologies, the partial theory that the remains of Seville are those of Christopher Columbus has been definitively confirmed”said José Antonio Lorente, professor of forensic medicine at the University of Granada, who led the study.

A “very complicated” investigation

This claim is based on comparisons of DNA samples from the tomb with those taken from one of Christopher Columbus’ brothers, Diego, and his son, Fernando.

The scientist, who called the investigation “very complicated”however, did not give details of its conclusions. These could be revealed on Saturday evening during the special program Columbus DNA : His True Origin which will be broadcast on television. “There are some really important results, results that will help us in many studies and analyzes that should be evaluated by historians”he told reporters.

Where did Christopher Columbus really come from?

A second mystery surrounding Christopher Columbus should also soon be resolved: his origin. Traditionally and historically, the sailor is considered to be a Genoese, born in the port city – or in its region – to weaver parents. A hypothesis which is however the subject of growing doubts on the part of Spanish historians.

Although numerous historical sources mention the Italian nature of the navigator, his origins and his childhood remain very uncertain. None of the various texts and manuscripts that have come down to us from him were written in Italian. Instead, and apart from Latin, the explorer wrote in Portuguese, Valencian, Galician and even Majorcan… One of the most developed hypotheses suggests seeing Christopher Columbus as the descendant of a family of Jews Genoese Sephardim converted and settled in Valencia.