Will the real Columbus Please stand up!
WILL THE REAL COLUMBUS PLEASE STAND UP
by Jorge Castro-Correia
Columbus’s true origins have puzzled historians for centuries. However, an international investigation under way in Spain, Italy and southern France hopes to determine, once and for all, using DNA pharensic technology, where Christopher Columbus actually originated from. With this year being the 500th anniversary of his death, an international team of scientists are hoping that a programme to collate DNA samples from known or presumed descendants from France, Italy and Spain can remove any lingering doubts about his true origin. Most historians insist that Columbus was Genoese, but some academics argue that he was Catalonian, whilst others claim he was Portuguese, French and even of Jewish descent. Even the location of his remains is subject to controversy. Both the Dominican Republic and Spain stake claims as to his final resting place. However, the Dominican government have refused a request from Spanish scientists to perform DNA testing on the alleged remains in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, researchers studying genetic evidence from 500 year old bone fragments have said that the preliminary data suggests that Columbus might have been buried in the Spanish city of Seville, although they did go on to say that ideally more testing was needed, especially in the Dominican Republic, in order to be certain.
Leading the investigations at the Genetic Identification Laboratory in Spain at the University of Granada is Dr. Jose Antonio Lorente who hopes to solve the riddle. His team of experts came together in November of 2005 to work on the mystery. “We are trying to piece together a genetic map of the Columbus family in several areas of the Mediterranean where various theories have it that Christopher Columbus was born,” explained Lorente, an acknowledged expert in genetic identification using DNA samples. “It is not about showing that Columbus was Catalan, Spanish or whatever. Certain historians believe he was not Genoese, but the majority say he was,” he added. “Eventually, we will be able to see which region the DNA ‘Y’ chromosome of Columbus has most affinity with and where, probably, we can surmise he originated.”
The Spanish-led research team, which includes Italians, Americans and Germans, sampled DNA from the known remains from Columbus’ brother and son, and then compared them with fragments attributed to Columbus in Seville. Testing began in Barcelona and has since been undertaken in Valencia further south on the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands, the Catalan region of southern France and in Genoa, Italy. More than 120 people with the family name Colom the Catalan derivative gave a saliva sample, while in the French region of Perpignan, just over the border, 18 people with similar names such as Colomb or Coulom also did the same test. In Italy, samples were also taken from people with the family name Colombo. Lorente had hoped to publish results of the survey in time to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ death in the central northern Spanish city of Valladolid.
His laboratory is seeking to determine the variety and DNA profile of the ‘Y’ chromosome (transmitted in identical fashion from fathers to sons) of people living in a single area who could be descended from Columbus. The samples will be compared with those of the explorer’s elder son, Diogo, whose remains lie in the Seville Cathedral. We eagerly await the result of this extraordinary investigation into one of histories greatest explorers.