DNA Evidence Confirms the Final Resting Place of Columbus
Christopher Columbus is a divisive figure. In some households he is a hero, whereas others consider him much more controversial a figure.
Even his final resting place has been the subject of fierce debate. The body of Columbus rests in Seville Cathedral in Spain, but also in the Dominican Republic. The problems arose because the remains of the explorer were constantly rehoused, and may have become mislaid in the process.
Columbus died in Valladolid in Spain and was initially buried there. However his remains were disinterred and moved to a monastery in Seville, then to Seville Cathedral. Then they were moved again, to the Dominican Republic where Columbus has requested that he be buried.
Here the story becomes murky. It was said that the bones were moved again to Havana in Cuba, from where they eventually returned to Spain and Seville Cathedral again. However a box was discovered in the Dominican cathedral which contained remains labelled as his, and nobody was sure which bones were the right bones.
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Both locations maintained a tradition of housing the bones of Columbus. But now, a new DNA study by the University of Granada seems to have finally confirmed the truth, according to a report in El Pais.
The truth? Based on the DNA tests, it would seem that Columbus was indeed moved from Santo Domingo to Havana in 1793, and from there to Seville in 1899. The analysis, part of a project 20 years in the making, builds on a 2003 study which seemed to strongly suggest the Seville remains were of Columbus.
“The process was carried out independently, with no communication between the clinics, ensuring the objectivity of the data,” explained José Antonio Lorente from the University of Granada. It now seems that the final resting place of the great, albeit controversial explorer is known beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Header Image: The tomb of Columbus in Seville Cathedral, which DNA testing has finally confirmed as the tomb of the explorer. Source: Pom² / CC BY-SA 3.0.
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