Scientists have raised questions about a new documentary that made new claims about the ethnicity of Christopher Columbus.
The previously widely accepted theory was that Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451, into a family of wool weavers.
But a new documentary, which aired on Saturday, claimed that new DNA analysis confirmed the explorer was a Spanish Jew.
While the discovery would rewrite history, independent experts say they remain skeptical until the work is published with verifiable data.
The new DNA analysis claims to have been the result of a 22-year investigation that analyzed Columbus’ genetics with those of his known relatives and descendants.
Scientists have expressed concern over a new DNA analysis that claimed Christopher Columbus was not Italian
It was based on research into 500-year-old remains of an unidentified person housed inside a tomb buried in the Seville Cathedral in Spain, which the new analysis also determined belonged to Columbus.
Historical records show that Columbus was born Cristoforo Colombo to Susanna Fontanarossa and Domenico Colombo, who were living in Genoa at the time, which had led the world to believe that he was of Italian descent.
However, Columbus’s son, Fernando Colón, also made written statements that his father had wished to keep his true origins a mystery and recent DNA analysis could show why.
The study was led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente, who published the findings in a documentary titled ‘Columbus DNA: The True Origin’ on Spanish national television TVE on Saturday.
‘We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son,’ Lorente said in the program.
‘And in both the Y chromosome (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Hernando there are traits compatible with Jewish origin.’
Scientists have previously speculated that the explorer was probably born in Western Europe, possibly in the city of Valencia in Spain.
A defender of the Valencian theory, architect Francesc Albardaner, told Lorente in the documentary that Columbus paraded as a Christian because of the religious atmosphere in Spain at the time.
In the 16th century, the Jewish population was decimated by a decree that forced them to convert to Christianity or leave the country.
And at least 30 percent chose to convert to Christianity rather than flee their homes.
But geneticist Antonio Alonso, former head of the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, said The Country that he was not convinced.
“Unfortunately, from a scientific point of view, no assessment can be made after watching the documentary, since it does not provide any data on what was analyzed,” said Alonso.
“My conclusion is that the documentary does not show Columbus’s DNA at any point and scientists do not know what analyzes have been carried out.”
The documentary begins in 2003, when Lorente and his team obtained permission to open a tomb in Seville, Spain, long believed to contain the remains of Christopher Columbus and those of his son.
A forensic scientist claimed he studied Columbus’ bones in 2003 and found there were not enough fragments to extract DNA.
On Thursday, Lorente announced that his two-decade research showed that the bone fragments belonged to the explorer.
Although scientists do not question who the remains belonged to, they do doubt the authenticity of the research.
Forensic anthropologist Miguel Botella previously analyzed the bone fragments in 2003 and spent six days studying them with laser scanners to conclude there was not enough for proper DNA analysis.
Ángel Carracedo, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, also examined the bone fragments and said the DNA was tremendously degraded.
But Lorente said in the documentary that he and his team ‘we have very partial DNA from Christopher Columbus, but it is enough, and we have DNA from Hernando Columbus, who is confirmed to be his son.’
‘What is very important in his theory is that in both the Y chromosome (inherited from the father) and in the mitochondrial DNA (inherited from the mother) of Hernando there are traits compatible with a Jewish origin,’ he continued.
DailyMail.com has contacted Lorente for comment.
DNA analysis was performed on bones found inside a tomb in a Spanish cathedral
While the new DNA analysis casts doubt on Columbus’ ancestral origins, Alonso said the research cannot overturn the notion that the explorer was born in Italy.
‘In any case, having a genealogy, a haplogroup or a haplotype of Jewish or Sephardic ancestry does not cast doubt on the birthplace of Columbus in Genoa as stated by historical sources, nor does it tell us anything about the religious beliefs professed by the generations of close relatives of Columbus,” he said.
Columbus set sail on August 3, 1492 from the Spanish port of Palos, hoping to find a route to the legendary riches of Asia.
Along with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, Columbus and approximately 100 men embarked on the voyage that took them to the other side of the world… and far from their original destination.
On October 12, 1492, the ships made landfall in what is now the Bahamas, and later that month Columbus saw Cuba and thought it was mainland China.
On the second voyage in 1493, Columbus intentionally sailed back to the New World and landed in Puerto Rico, where he enslaved many of the island’s native Taínos, some of whom were sent back to Spain.
Many Spaniards came over the next four years, resulting in the deaths of some seven million Taínos, 85 percent of the population.