Scientists are finally ready to reveal the truth about Christopher Columbus's DNA

Christopher Columbus was the famed explorer who reached the Americas in 1492 under the Spanish flag and now new DNA evidence has revealed the truth about his own origins.

In 2003, samples of Columbus’ DNA were taken from his remains which were exhumed from Seville Cathedral, where he was believed to be buried. DNA was also taken from the remains of his son, Hernando, and brother, Diego.

For more than two decades, experts have been examining the samples to get a glimpse into the history of the man and to answer previously unknown questions about his background.

There has long been dispute over whether the remains of Columbus were in the cathedral in Seville, or whether they lie in the Dominican Republic – a claim made by the Caribbean country that has a mausoleum dedicated to the explorer.

The results were aired in a “documentary thriller” by Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE on Saturday (12 October) to coincide with a national holiday to mark when Columbus made it to America.

Professor of forensic medicine at Granada University, José Antonio Lorente, who was involved in the extraction of the DNA, explained: “We have been able to prove beyond all doubt, with new technology, the previously unconfirmed theory that the remains in Seville are those of Christopher Columbus.”

The team also admitted that some of his remains could also be in the Dominican Republic.

Another much-debated fact is that of Colmbus’ place of birth. It is most widely believed that Columbus was born in the Italian city of Genoa. But there have been no less than 25 separate claims by different places that Columbus originates from there.

Through DNA evidence, the team were able to narrow down his place of birth to eight areas in Spain, Portugal and Italy, including the Spanish island of Mallorca and the region of Galicia in Spain, essentially confirming he was from somewhere in Western Europe.

Another revelation to emerge from the DNA testing is that the 15-century explorer was, in fact, a Sephardic Jew.

Professor Lorente explained : “We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Fernando Colon, his son. And both in the Y chromosome (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Fernando, there are traits compatible with Jewish origin.”

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings