Unknown Amazing Historical Findings

Spanish scientists have announced that Christopher Columbus, the 15th-century explorer known for discovering the Americas, was of Sephardic Jewish descent. This revelation, based on advanced DNA analysis, resolves long-standing questions about Columbus’ origins. While he was traditionally believed to have been from Genoa, Italy, other theories suggested he might have been Greek, British, or even a Spanish Jew.

Led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente, a 22-year investigation concluded that Columbus is buried in Seville Cathedral, Spain. Lorente’s team analyzed microscopic DNA samples from Columbus’ remains, comparing them to those of known relatives, including his son Hernando Colón. The DNA analysis revealed that both Columbus and his son had genetic markers consistent with Jewish ancestry. These findings were revealed in a documentary titled *Columbus DNA: The True Origin*, aired on Spain’s national broadcaster TVE.

Columbus famously led a Spanish expedition in 1492, aiming to reach India by sailing west. Instead, he landed on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, making the first recorded European contact with the Americas. Despite this, Columbus died in 1506, believing he had found a new route to India rather than a new continent.

Ironically, 1492 was also the year when Spain’s Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, expelled the country’s Jewish population unless they converted to Christianity. Although Columbus identified as a Christian, this new discovery sheds light on his Jewish heritage.

Columbus’ expeditions paved the way for further European exploration and colonization of the Americas, though in modern times, his legacy has been scrutinized due to the suffering of Indigenous peoples, including enslavement, that followed European settlement.

Around 300,000 Jews lived in Spain before the ‘Reyes Catolicos’, Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, ordered Jews to convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country. Many settled around the world. The word Sephardic comes from Sefarad, or Spain in Hebrew.