According to a new genetic study conducted by Spanish scientists aimed at unraveling a centuries-old mystery, famous explorer Christopher Columbus may have been Spanish and Jewish.
Scientists believe that the explorer, whose transatlantic expedition in 1492 changed the course of world history, was probably born in Western Europe, possibly in the city of Valencia.
They claim he hid his Jewish identity or converted to Catholicism to escape religious persecution.
The DNA study contradicts the traditional theory that many historians have questioned that the explorer was an Italian from Genoa.
Columbus led an expedition supported by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain that sought to establish a new route to Asia – but instead he reached the Caribbean.
His arrival there was the beginning of a period of European contact with the Americas, which led to conquest and settlement – and the deaths of millions of native peoples from disease and war.
Nations have argued for years about the explorer’s origins, with many claiming he was one of their own.
There are an estimated 25 conflicting theories about his birthplace, including Poland, England, Greece, Portugal, Hungary and Scandinavia.
These new findings are based on more than two decades of research.
Research began in 2003, when José Antonio Lorente, a professor of forensics at the University of Granada, and historian Marcial Castro, exhumed what were believed to be Columbus’s remains from Seville Cathedral.
Columbus died in the Spanish city of Vallodalid in 1506 but wished to be buried on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. His remains were brought there in 1542 but centuries later were moved to Cuba before finally being laid to rest in Seville.
Researchers also took DNA samples from the grave and from the bones of Columbus’s son, Hernando, and brother, Diego.
Since then, scientists have compared that genetic information with that of historical figures and the explorer’s relatives to try to solve the mystery.
The widely accepted theory was that Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451, into a family of wool weavers.
But they now believe he lives in Spain – possibly in Valencia – and is Jewish. They claim that he hid his background to avoid persecution.
About 300,000 Jewish Jews lived in Spain, before they, along with Muslims, were ordered to convert to Catholicism or leave the country in 1492, the year Columbus arrived in the Americas.
Announcing the research results in the television documentary Columbus DNA: His True Origin, Professor Lorente said they were “almost completely reliable”.
The show – which aired on Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE on Saturday night – coincided with Spain’s National Day.
The day commemorates the explorer’s arrival in the Americas.
