Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Spain, Oct 14.- Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from the western Mediterranean, according to a study carried out at the University of Granada based on the mortal remains of the navigator and his son Hernando, 'RTVE' reported. In this way, the research discards the hypothesis that Columbus came from the Italian city of Genoa.
The channel claims to have "rewritten history" with the documentary Columbus DNA, its true origin, which aired on October 12, when Spain celebrates the National Holiday commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America.
"The film shows the 22 years of investigation led by the forensic examiner and professor at the University of Granada, José Antonio Lorente. After examining hundreds of bones and documents, it can be stated that Christopher Columbus was Jewish," says RTVE.
The study confirmed a conclusion that was already made known in 2005, that the remains of Christopher Columbus buried in the Cathedral of Seville are authentic, without ruling out that the remains resting in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, are also authentic.
The DNA of Hernando Colón, Christopher's son, made it possible to clarify Jewish ancestry.
"Both in Hernando's Y and mitochondrial chromosomes, there are traits compatible with Jewish origin," the documentary reports.
The authors of the documentary identified up to 25 theories about the navigator's birthplace, but not all were equally well argued, so only eight that offered the possibility of comparing DNA were tested.
In some cases, the hypotheses were so specific that they involved analyzing possible relatives residing in Portugal, Galicia, Guadalajara and Mallorca. In other cases, comparisons had to be based on DNA from local populations such as Genoa, Navarra or Valencia.
The investigation rules out that the admiral was from Guadalajara, Portugal, Galicia, Navarra or Mallorca, according to various hypotheses that could be compared with the DNA of hypothetical relatives. A study carried out by historian Marcial Castro at the beginning of this century confirms Francesc Albardaner's theory about Columbus's Jewish origins.
The same DNA puts an end to the hypothesis that Columbus was a Genoese, since the men with the surname Colombo who currently reside in the area of ??northern Italy, between Genoa and Milan, do not have similar genetic traits. Columbus DNA, his true origin discovers that Columbus probably belonged to a family of Jewish converts from Valencia, according to genetic tests, which forced him to hide his true birthplace.
The coroner and professor at the University of Granada, José Antonio Lorente, who led this 22-year-long investigation, does not hesitate to place the birthplace of Columbus outside the Italian peninsula.
"Geographical location: Western Mediterranean. All this part," said the scientist. (Text and Photo: Cubadebate)
