Cristóbal Colón murió y fue enterrado en Valladolid en 1506 y, en 1509, se le dio nueva sepultura en la Cartuja de Sevilla. A pesar de haber manifestado su voluntad testamentaria de ser sepultado en las nuevas tierras por él descubiertas, este deseo no fue cumplido hasta 1537 cuando María de Rojas y Toledo, viuda de Diego Colón, embarcó los huesos de su esposo y de su suegro rumbo a Santo Domingo.
En la Catedral a la que antes me refería permanecieron hasta 1795, fecha en la que España perdió en guerra contra Francia la isla de La Española, hoy compartida por la República Dominicana y Haití.
Las autoridades españolas exhumaron entonces los restos del navegante para trasladarlos a Cuba y en 1898 se repitió el proceso, con motivo de la invasión estadounidense.
En 1898, la cesión de la isla a Estados Unidos provocó el que de momento es el último traslado, a la Catedral de Sevilla.
No obstante, en la República Dominicana se sostiene que allí siguen los restos, puesto que en 1877 se encontró un ataúd de plomo con la inscripción "Varón ilustre y distinguido, don Cristóbal Colón", lo que permite interpretar que el traslado de 1795 se hizo equivocando los restos, quizá con los de su hijo.
Las nuevas posibilidades abiertas por los avances científicos en el estudio e identificación del ADN llevaron, en junio de 2003, a nuevamente abrir el sepulcro sevillano.
Los muy escasos restos, apenas 200 gramos de huesos, fueron confiados al Laboratorio de Identificación Genética de la Universidad de Granada.
Los huesos tienen exactamente una antigüedad de 6.002 meses (este análisis fue realizado en 2003) y al comparar la secuencia de su ADN con la de los restos de Diego Colón, hermano del Almirante, la conclusión no ofrece la menor duda: son hijos de la misma madre y, por tanto, la sepultura de Sevilla es auténtica.
Ahora bien, todavía permanecen algunas incógnitas por despejar. Se estima que los restos de Sevilla no representan más de un 15% de lo que cabría encontrar de un esqueleto de medio milenio, que ha sufrido repetidas exhumaciones, manipulaciones y traslados.
¿Dónde está el 85% restante?.
No lo sabemos, lo que sí es verdad es que una urna con los restos del almirante fue trasladada a Sevilla por el crucero "Conde de Venadito" en 1898, después de la Independencia de Cuba.
Para custodiarla, el escultor Arturo Mélida edificó un monumento (que podemos ver en la foto de arriba) en el que representantes de los cuatro reinos españoles (Castilla, León, Aragón y Navarra) sostienen un féretro.
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Christopher Colón died and was buried in Valladolid in 1506 and, in 1509, new grave was given to him in the Carthusian Monastery of Seville. In spite of having demonstrated his testamentary will to be buried in the new lands by him discovered, this desire was not fulfilled until 1537 when Maria de Rojas y Toledo, widow of Diego Colón, embarked the bodies of his husband and his father-in-law course to Santo Domingo.
In this Cathedral they remained until 1795, date in which Spain lost in war against France the La Española island , today shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Spanish authorities exhumed the remains of the navigator to move to Cuba and in 1898 the process was repeated, on the occasion of the American invasion.
In 1898, the transfer of the island to The United States provoked the last movement to the Cathedral of Seville.
Nevertheless, the Dominican Republic says that they has the remains there, because in 1877 they found a coffin of lead with the inscription "Illustrious and distinguished lord, don Christopher Columbus", which allows to interpret that the movement of 1795 was done mistaking the remains, probably with those of his son.
The new possibilities opened by the scientific advances in the study and identification of the DNA went, in June, 2003, again to open the Sevillian sepulcher.
The very scanty remains, upset 200 grams of body, were entrusted to the Laboratory of Genetic Identification of the University of Granada.
The bones have exactly an antiquity of 6.002 months (this analysis was realized in 2003) and on having compared the sequence of his DNA with that of the remains of Diego Colón, brother of the Admiral, the conclusion does not offer the minor doubt: they are children of the same mother and, therefore, the grave of Seville is authentic.
Now then, there are some mysteries for clearing.
It thinks that the remains of Seville do not represent any more than 15 % of what it would be necessary to think of a skeleton of half a millenium, that it has suffered repeated exhumations, manipulations and movements.
Where is it 85 % remaining?.
We do not know it, which is true is that an urn with the remains of the admiral was moved to Seville by the cruise "Count of Venadito" in 1898, after the Independence of Cuba.
To guard it, the sculptor Arturo Melida built a monument (that we can see in the photo of above) in that representatives of four Spanish kingdoms (Castile, Lion, Aragon and Navarre) support a bier.
Christopher Colón died and was buried in Valladolid in 1506 and, in 1509, new grave was given to him in the Carthusian Monastery of Seville. In spite of having demonstrated his testamentary will to be buried in the new lands by him discovered, this desire was not fulfilled until 1537 when Maria de Rojas y Toledo, widow of Diego Colón, embarked the bodies of his husband and his father-in-law course to Santo Domingo.
In this Cathedral they remained until 1795, date in which Spain lost in war against France the La Española island , today shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Spanish authorities exhumed the remains of the navigator to move to Cuba and in 1898 the process was repeated, on the occasion of the American invasion.
In 1898, the transfer of the island to The United States provoked the last movement to the Cathedral of Seville.
Nevertheless, the Dominican Republic says that they has the remains there, because in 1877 they found a coffin of lead with the inscription "Illustrious and distinguished lord, don Christopher Columbus", which allows to interpret that the movement of 1795 was done mistaking the remains, probably with those of his son.
The new possibilities opened by the scientific advances in the study and identification of the DNA went, in June, 2003, again to open the Sevillian sepulcher.
The very scanty remains, upset 200 grams of body, were entrusted to the Laboratory of Genetic Identification of the University of Granada.
The bones have exactly an antiquity of 6.002 months (this analysis was realized in 2003) and on having compared the sequence of his DNA with that of the remains of Diego Colón, brother of the Admiral, the conclusion does not offer the minor doubt: they are children of the same mother and, therefore, the grave of Seville is authentic.
Now then, there are some mysteries for clearing.
It thinks that the remains of Seville do not represent any more than 15 % of what it would be necessary to think of a skeleton of half a millenium, that it has suffered repeated exhumations, manipulations and movements.
Where is it 85 % remaining?.
We do not know it, which is true is that an urn with the remains of the admiral was moved to Seville by the cruise "Count of Venadito" in 1898, after the Independence of Cuba.
To guard it, the sculptor Arturo Melida built a monument (that we can see in the photo of above) in that representatives of four Spanish kingdoms (Castile, Lion, Aragon and Navarre) support a bier.
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