15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, Spanish scientists said on Saturday, after using DNA analysis to solve an age-old mystery.
Several countries have debated the origins and final burial place of the figure who led Spanish-funded expeditions from the 1490s onwards, paving the way for the European conquest of the Americas.
Many historians have questioned the traditional theory that Columbus came from Genoa, Italy.
Other theories range from the Spanish being Jewish or Greek, Basque, Portuguese or British.
To solve the mystery, researchers conducted a 22-year investigation, led by forensics expert Miguel Lorente, by testing tiny samples of remains buried in Seville's cathedral, which authorities there have long designated as the final resting place of Columbus, despite claims to the contrary.
They compared them with those of known relatives and descendants, and their findings were published in a documentary titled "Columbus DNA: The True Origins" on Spain's national broadcaster TVE on Saturday.
"We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colon, his son," Lorente said on the program.
"In both Y chromosomes (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Hernando, there are traits compatible with Jewish origin," said Lorente.
About 300.000 Jews lived in Spain before the "Catholic kings", Isabella and Ferdinand, ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country.
Many settled around the world.
The word Sephardic comes from Sefarad, or Spain in Hebrew.
After analyzing 25 possible places, Lorente said that it is only possible to say that Columbus was born in Western Europe.
On Thursday, Lorente said they confirmed previous theories that the remains in Seville's cathedral belonged to Columbus.
Research on Columbus' nationality was complicated by a number of factors, including a large amount of data.
But "the outcome is almost absolutely certain," Lorente said.
Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain in 1506, but he wanted to be buried on the island of Hispaniola, which today is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
His remains were taken there in 1542, then transferred to Cuba in 1795, and then, as long thought in Spain, to Seville in 1898.
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