A new genetic study reveals that Christopher Columbus was probably Spanish and of Jewish background, terminating the long-held dogma that he hailed from Genoa, Italy. According to the researchers, Columbus may have been concealing his Jewish identity for reasons of persecution, mainly when Jews in Spain were put into the predicament of either converting to Catholicism or being expelled from the region.
The project began in 2003, the DNA studies of an alleged Columbus, son Hernando, and brother Diego, among comparisons with other historical figures and relatives, led to the conclusion that the man was quite likely to come from Valencia, Spain. This theory stands under good historical perspective of 1492-the same year Columbus landed in the Americas, when Spain expelled Jews who did not convert to Catholicism.
It was aired on Spain’s National Day and has been considered “almost absolutely reliable” by the scientists who took part in the study, as it presents findings from a documentary called Columbus DNA: His True Origin.
