A recent scientific study revealed that Christopher Columbus was not originally from Genoa, as commonly believed, but had a converso Jewish origin. According to experts, the Castilian language in which Columbus wrote his documents reinforces the hypothesis of his Sephardic origin, as Sephardic Jews spoke the Iberian languages.
The documentary aired by Spanish television suggests that Columbus hid his Jewish identity to avoid persecution from the Inquisition during his time when Jews were being heavily persecuted. It is proposed that the protection of the Catholic Monarchs, with the intervention of Luis Santángel, a converso Jew, allowed him to present his exploration project to Queen Isabella, which led to the expedition to America.
The genetic analysis conducted suggests a Sephardic origin for Columbus, although experts clarify that DNA can only reveal the geographic and ethnic origin of a person, not their exact place of birth. Researchers hope that their conclusions will be validated in scientific journals, while the documentary highlights more personal and unknown aspects of Columbus's life.
The study's results also ruled out possible connections of Columbus with European locations such as Portugal or Italy, contrary to what some previous studies have claimed. Analyses suggest that the surname "Colón" may have been used in Italy to refer to abandoned children, which would support the idea that Columbus was hiding his origin.
Spanish forensics expert José Antonio Lorente led a group of specialists from the University of Granada who confirmed that the remains of Christopher Columbus are located in the Cathedral of Seville, in Spain. After more than 20 years of study, the remains of Columbus were compared with those of his son Hernando and his brother Diego, revealing surprising aspects about the true identity of the navigator.
