Spanish Sephardic Jew, not Genoese; Christopher Columbus not Italian!!!

MADRID: Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer who introduced the United States to the world, is not a native of Genoa, Italy. According to the researchers, he was of Sephardic Jewish descent from Western Europe and his birthplace may have been Valencia in Spain.

The researchers concluded this through 20-year-long DNA studies on the remains of his body found in the tomb of a cathedral in Seville, Spain. They also confirm that the remains belong to Columbus.

The Sephardic Jews were those who lived in Spain and Portugal and emigrated to the lands that were part of the Ottoman Empire, including North Africa, and to France, England, Italy, and the Balkan regions at the end of the 15th century.

The researchers believe that Columbus may have concealed his Jewish identity or converted to the Catholic faith in order to escape religious persecution.

A team from the University of Grenada in Spain discovered the remains of the body in Sevilla in 2003. The bones of Columbus' son Fernando and brother Diego were found earlier.

The world knows very little about the early life of Columbus, who lived in the 15th century. There was controversy as to where Columbus was born. He was also thought to be of Portuguese, Croatian, Greek or Polish descent.

To Spain via Cuba

Columbus died in 1506 at the age of 54 in Valladolid, Spain. He wanted to be laid to rest on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. In 1542, the remains were brought there. The body was transferred to Cuba in 1795 and to Sevilla in 1898.