By Andrea Hargraves 
Spanish researchers claim to have uncovered the true origin of Christopher Columbus, a topic that has been the subject of debate for centuries and has already given rise to dozens of theories. According to A New documentarywhich was shown in prime time on RTVE (public radio), DNA analysis would have determined that the famous navigator was a Sephardic Jew.
The investigation, led by forensic pathologist José Antonio Llorente, professor at the University of Granada, lasted more than 20 years and was presented on Saturday night (12).
But the statements made in the production were met with skepticism from the academic community in Spain itself.
The scientists stressed that the conclusions presented about Columbus's origin were not published in a scientific article, and therefore there was no scrutiny by the peer review system. There were also those who criticized the lack of depth in the technical aspects regarding analyzing the explorer's DNA.
“Unfortunately, in the scientific field, no assessment can be made after watching the documentary, because it does not provide minimal information about what was analysed,” said geneticist Antonio Alonso, former director of Mexico's National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Medicine. Spain in an interview with El Pais newspaper.
He added: “My conclusion is that the documentary does not show Columbus's DNA at any point, and scientists do not know what analysis was done.”
In an interview with the same magazine, and also on social media, other researchers also seemed unconvinced by this production, which was launched specifically on the national holiday that celebrates Hispanic Day.
The leader of the work presented now, in addition to being the hero and narrator of the documentary, Professor José Antonio Llorente says that the material will be published in a scientific journal in the future.
By far, the most accepted theory is that Columbus – who led naval expeditions funded by Spain and paved the way for exploration of the Americas by Europeans – was from the Genoa region of Italy.
However, there are numerous circumstances that have always caused this fact to be questioned, especially in other “candidate” countries for the homeland of the explorer, who died in 1506 in Valladolid, Spain.
Among the various theories for its origins were Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France, England, Scotland, Hungary, Ireland and Croatia, as well as various areas of Spanish territory, such as Galicia, Catalonia, Valencia, Navarre and Mallorca.
For the Spaniards, the fact that indicated their origin in the country was the language the navigator used in his letters: always Castilian.
In the documentary, Llorente and his collaborators point out that they have analyzed in detail the genetic material of Christopher Columbus and his family members, where “mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome of his son Fernando Columbus show traces consistent with his Jewish ancestry.”
The conclusion, which also included the participation of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including historians and genealogists, indicated that the genetic profile found dates back to the western Mediterranean.
Other elements, such as the language problem, would have made it possible to limit the origin of the browser to the Spanish part of the region.
Work to investigate the origins began in 2001, when historian Marcial Castro suggested to Llorente that the tomb in the Seville Cathedral, where the explorer's remains are located, be opened to verify its authenticity.
In the Dominican Republic there is also a grave attributed by local sources to the explorer. Therefore, the first step was to verify where Columbus actually was.
Although the group of José Antonio Llorente initially stated that the remains found in the Seville Cathedral belonged to the navigator, the search ended in 2005. In the documentary, the project leader stated that this was due to the state of technology at the time, which was unable to Extract the necessary DNA information from the few fragments available for investigation.
But scientific progress allowed studies to resume in 2020.
The production argues that Christopher Columbus made a deliberate effort to hide his Jewish origins, because in the 15th century, there was severe persecution of religion in the Inquisition promoted by the Catholic Church.
The film suggests that Christopher Columbus may have received help from other Jews to convince the Spanish kings to sponsor his endeavors to reach India.
“He was helped by Jews and converted Jews, including the Duke of Medinaceli, who lived with him for several years. The Minister of Finance of King Ferdinand the Catholic, who personally financed the expedition to America, and provided great support to Christopher Columbus,” the diplomat said. Architect Francesc Albardaner, former head of the Center for Colombian Studies in Barcelona and author of a book exploring the possible Catalan origins of the navigator.
According to the documentary, in the explorer's time, assigning the surname Columbus (Colón, in Spanish) was common among orphans and children with unknown family origins in the area where Italy is located today. Therefore, the production argues that using the surname would be a perfect disguise for someone who wants to hide his true origin.
DNA tests had also revealed that Christopher Columbus lied about his family relationships. According to the documentary, Diego Colombo, named as the explorer's brother, was actually a distant relative, like a second cousin.
Amid the torrent of new and controversial statements, many members of the Spanish scientific community still say caution is still required, especially since the study supporting the documentary has not yet been published.
Speaking to El País, Llorente said the new production is “not a scientific documentary, but a film” based on his studies. He stated that the scientific results would be presented at a press conference, perhaps at the end of November, and that until then he would not make any further statements.