Spanish scientists conducted a DNA study confirming that the remains of Christopher Columbus, the man who initiated geographic discoveries, are buried in Seville Cathedral. While debates about his origin persist, the details of the famous explorer’s true identity will be revealed in a documentary set to be released on October 12. Scientists in Spain claim to have solved two different mysteries related to the explorer over five centuries after his death.
The first question, whether the grand tomb at Seville Cathedral, visited by thousands of people every year, actually belongs to him or not? The second question is whether the maritime navigator that changed the course of world history was truly Genoese as history has long claimed? While scientists definitively answered the first question that has long been debated, the answer to the second question will be revealed on Saturday.
Spanish scientists confirmed with certainty that the remains found at Seville Cathedral belong to the explorer Christopher Columbus, who crossed the Atlantic and changed world history. Columbus, who passed away in Valladolid in 1506, has been the center of much debate even after his death, concerning where he was buried and his origins. While the general consensus is that he was Genoese, some theories suggested that Columbus might have had origins in Catalonia, Portugal, Galicia, Greece, or Scotland.
For over twenty years, Spanish scientists conducted DNA tests to investigate the authenticity of the remains found in Seville. Led by forensic expert Dr. José Antonio Lorente from the University of Granada, the study compared Columbus’s remains with DNA samples taken from his brother Diego and son Fernando.
On Thursday, Lorente announced the results of this research, confirming with certainty that the bones in Seville Cathedral definitively belonged to Columbus. Dr. Lorente stated, “Today, thanks to new technologies, the previous partial theories about the remains in Seville being those of Christopher Columbus have been definitively confirmed.” He emphasized that this discovery put an end to long-standing speculations.
The definitive findings regarding the explorer’s origins will be announced in a special television program on Saturday, October 12, commemorating Spain’s national day and Columbus’ arrival in the New World. Despite numerous claims about Columbus’s nationality, program producers claim they have found the answer.
In a statement from Spain’s state television RTVE, it was mentioned, “There are twenty-five possible origins and eight finalists, but only one can be true.”
Forensic expert Lorente described the investigation as “very complex,” stating in remarks to journalists that it provided “truly important results which will help historians evaluate numerous studies and analyses soon.” Columbus’s bones have travelled extensively throughout history. Following his death in Spain in 1506, Columbus wished to be buried in Hispaniola; in 1542, his remains were moved there. Then in 1795, they were transferred to Cuba before returning to Seville in 1898.
In 1877, bone fragments were found in a box at Santo Domingo Cathedral labeled “Christopher Columbus.” Dr. Lorente suggested that both sets of bones could belong to Columbus, stating that the DNA analysis provided significant data and secrets about Columbus’ origins will soon be revealed. Many individuals, particularly left-wing politicians in Spain and indigenous communities in America, view Columbus not as a heroic explorer, but as a symbol of colonialism, exploitation, and genocide.
In 2015, at the time Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau joined many in the Spanish left in condemning the celebrations on October 12, tweeting, “It is shameful for a nation to celebrate a genocide and go even further by organizing a military parade that costs 800,000 euros.” Former Mayor of Cádiz José María González Santos held a similar view, saying, “We never discovered America, we killed and suppressed cultures and a continent on behalf of God. There is nothing to celebrate.”
In recent years, reactions against Columbus’ legacy have increased. For example, four years ago, a Columbus statue in Richmond, Virginia was torn down, set on fire, and thrown into a lake. A sign was placed where the statue stood with the inscription “Columbus represents genocide.”