New DNA analysis of Christopher Columbus reveals truth about explorer’s origins that rewrites history

A new DNA analysis of the remains of several direct descendants of Christopher Columbus may have revealed a history-changing fact about the explorer’s origins.

For centuries, historians believed that the explorer was born in Genoa, Italy, from humble beginnings to persuade Catholic Monarchs to finance what many considered an impossible journey across the Atlantic.

Now, researchers at the Citogen laboratory and the Complutense University of Madrid have published a preprint study suggesting that Columbus may have descended from Galician nobles in Spain; genetic connections pointed to strong Sotomayor ancestry.

The Sotomayors were one of the most influential noble families of medieval Galicia; They exercised political and military power in northwestern Spain in the 15th century; a background that contrasts sharply with the long-held belief that Columbus came from a modest Italian family.

DNA evidence points to Pedro Alvarez de Sotomayor, a powerful 15th-century Galician nobleman known as Pedro Madruga, as a possible ancestor in Columbus’ family line, researchers said.

The discovery emerged after scientists analyzed the DNA of 12 people buried in the family tomb of the Counts of Gelves in Spain.

The theory that Columbus may have had Galician roots is not new, as its origins date back more than a century.

But the study claimed to provide the strongest genetic evidence supporting this idea.

“To scientifically address the identity of Christopher Columbus’ ancestors, this study targeted the primary burial site of his direct descendants: the church of Santa Maria de Gracia in Gelves,” the team said. study.

‘This area serves as a pantheon for the Counts of Gelves and contains the largest community of Columbus’ direct descendants (at least seven, including his grandson).’

The breakthrough came after researchers identified two individuals among the 12 exhumed individuals who shared genetic material, although there was no known historical connection between them.

One of these was Jorge Alberto de Portugal, the third Count of Gelves and documented descendant of Columbus.

The other was Maria de Castro Giron de Portugal, a Galician noblewoman from one of Spain’s most influential aristocratic families.

Investigators said the unexpected DNA link led them to Pedro Madruga.

Using more than 10,000 genetic markers and a computer model that tracked 16 generations of family history, the team concluded that Pedro Madruga was the most likely common ancestor.

Removing him from the reconstructed family tree caused the genetic link to be lost, suggesting he was a crucial ancestral link in Columbus’ family lineage, the researchers said.

Columbus may have descended from Galician nobles in Spain, with genetic links pointing to strong Sotomayor ancestry, a new study suggests.

They called the process a ‘Virtual Knockout’ test in which Pedro Madruga was digitally removed from the family tree model.

Once eliminated, the genetic relationship between descendants was completely eliminated.

The researchers also noted several historical clues that they believe support the theory: Pedro Madruga disappeared from records around 1486, at the same time Columbus suddenly appeared at the court of the Catholic Monarchs.

Pedro Madruga was one of the most powerful feudal lords of 15th-century Galicia, controlling a large territory starting from the castle of Sotomayor on the banks of the Verdugo river in the province of Pontevedra.

Columbus’s writings also included Galician-Portuguese language features, and parts of his coat of arms resembled symbols associated with the Sotomayor family.

The researchers also found that the descendants buried in the tomb genetically clustered with populations from northern Spain and showed connections to both the Sotomayor family of Galicia and the noble Zuniga house of Navarre.

However, the team stressed that the evidence remains indirect because it is based on Columbus’s descendants rather than his own DNA, meaning the findings still require independent verification.

Most historians continue to believe that Columbus was born in Genoa, and he lists Genoa as his birthplace in his 1498 will.

But supporters of the Spanish origin theory argue that Columbus may have concealed his true background, and the new study offers new, though not yet conclusive, evidence connecting him to northern Spanish nobles.

The team confirmed the final resting place of Columbus in 2024. By conducting DNA analysis for 20 years on human bones buried in Spain’s Seville Cathedral, they ‘definitely’ confirmed that they belonged to the explorer who died in 1506.

The team confirmed the final resting place of Columbus in 2024.

By conducting DNA analysis for 20 years on human bones buried in Spain’s Seville Cathedral, they ‘definitely’ confirmed that they belonged to the explorer who died in 1506.

The authors ultimately concluded that the study provided the first ‘robust genetic support’ for the theory that Columbus may have come from Galicia rather than Italy.

Columbus set sail from the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492, hoping to find a route to the fabled riches of Asia.

With three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, Columbus and about 100 men set out on a journey that would take them to the other side of the world, far from their original destination.

On October 12, 1492, the ships docked in what is now the Bahamas, and later that month Columbus sighted Cuba and mistook it for mainland China.

On his second voyage in 1493, Columbus deliberately turned back to the New World and landed in Puerto Rico; Here he enslaved most of the island’s indigenous Taino people, some of whom were sent back to Spain.

Many Spaniards arrived over the next four years, resulting in the deaths of approximately seven million Tainos, or 85 percent of the population.