MADRID, October 13. /TASS/. Specialists from Spain's University of Granada have examined the remains of explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) to determine his true origins.
In the documentary "Columbus, DNA. His True Origin," aired on TVE, the researchers said the explorer may have been a Sephardic Jew. According to the film, DNA analysis showed that the remains kept in the Seville Cathedral did indeed belong to the navigator. The documentary is based on a 20-year study led by Professor Jose Antonio Lorente of the University of Granada. During the study, the remains of the bones of Columbus' brother and son were also analyzed. The analysis has shown that the navigator was probably from the Iberian Peninsula, possibly from Valencia.
According to researchers, "Columbus' origin is one of the greatest unsolved questions in history." While one of the most common theories is that the navigator was Genoese, some researchers have speculated that he may have been born in Spain, Portugal, Croatia and even Poland.
Ahead of the documentary's premiere, Lorente explained that the full and detailed results of the research will be presented at a press conference in November. This is because "very important new data are still being analyzed, which, without affecting the content of the film, have scientific value for experts and historians," the professor explained. According to him, "the full results will be published in an international scientific journal, so that they will be available to all scientists and experts and will serve as a basis for possible future studies."
Columbus led an expedition on the ships Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina (1492-1493), during which a new part of the world, later named America, was discovered on October 12, 1492. The navigator organized and led three more expeditions to its shores (1493-1504). The film was shown on October 12, which is Spain's National Day. The holiday is intended to immortalize the state's role in the discovery of America.