The Columbus Enigma: Who Really Was The Legendary Explorer? | Secrets & Lies Of Columbus | Timeline

Was Christopher Columbus born in Genoa, Italy? Most definitely not, say an unlikely collection of experts from European royalty, DNA science, university scholars, even Columbus's own living family. This ground breaking documentary follows a trail of proof to show he might have been much more than we know.

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[michaelrobinson]

When I was in elementary school, we were taught that Columbus was Portugese. In later years he became Italian. Will the real Christofer Columbus please stand up..

[cooksmary]

I had a phenomenal fourth grade teacher, who taught us that CC was Portuguese. I have always thought this. How interesting. This teacher won no contests for being pleasant, but this woman taught us so much, in public school. Those were the days. The most important thing she did for me was to recommend library books to me, one of which was Maya Angelo's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. How did she know this book would touch my heart so?

[darkisland]

I have Simon Wiesenthal's book on Columbus's Jewish background. He points out a number of indications that Columbus was from a Portuguese Converso family, and shows that most of his sailors were also of Jewish background. If he was also a Templar, that would be very interesting, since there is a great deal of archaeological and documentary evidence that the Templars had trading settlement in North America (Nova Scotia and other places) for at least 100 years before his voyage.

[robynw]

So many of these documentaries end with "we are awaiting the results of further testing". Why can't they just wait for the results before finalising the doco? Maybe they don't want to risk a result that would negate the whole doco. Not saying this is the case here or in all docos like this, but it's so frustrating. It's like "let's finish on the same mystery we started with", and maybe we can make another doco in the future.

[digemsmacks]

What about using oxygen isotopes from Christopher Columbus' teeth? This should be a direct link to the area a very young and growing Columbus grew up in.

[katmandudawn]

I would think that the fact that Columbus’s own sons did not know the truth of their origins says a lot.
There were questions even during his life that he would not clarify. To me that means any obvious answer can’t be right or he would have admitted it.

Many Jewish families at the time “converted” but quietly continued to practice their private observances. Later generations had no idea these little rituals were Jewish traditions.

[stefangabor]

It makes perfect sense; I have always wondered how a poor Italian had access to Portuguese royalty. In order to trust someone with that kind of money for the expedition he, himself, had to be well known and most importantly for that period, wealthy. Same things apply today. If someone goes to the bank without a penny and ask for 100, 000 dollars loan for some sort of expedition would he get it?

[white_box_gallery]

History has to be checked all the time...in the past several thousand years, access to true information was not available to all and literacy became widely accessible only in the past 2 centuries.
History has been written by the victors and often by book burnings, humankind lost lots of information about previous era.

[glenfordburrell]

His Jewish ancestry is probably true because there are many Jewish cemeteries in and around Jamaica. My Grandfather is buried Falmouth, Jamaica of which is a Jewish Cemetery.
In the hamlet of Kettering, Jamaica a Cable and Wireless mobile transmitter had been installed over the burial site of his brother, Robert.
East of St. Ann's, Jamaica, I stumbled upon a well that was built by the crew of members of one of his ships. I think it was La Nina.
The locals, at the time were very upset because a German salvage team had discovered it's wreckage and had hauled up it's many treasures in return for 200 Mercedes buses - which didn't materialise!
We must remember that Columbus never ever set foot on what we call present day America but he did live in Jamaica for over two years in and around Discovery Bay, Jamaica.

[iseejewelz]

Let me by the end we still won't know anything

[michaelgeraci]

"Zarco" (the surname of Christopher Columbus' mother) is found in the province of Liguria, Italy, in a small town right outside of Genoa. Perhaps his father was the Portuguese prince and his mother was from a Sephardic Jewish family that settled in Liguria, Italy?

[kathleenklein]

One of my Hebrew school teachers said that there was Hebrew in CC's writing. I believe it was the Hebrew abbreviation ב״ה which is often written on top of pages. It means "with the help of G-d". If he is descended from a Jewish mother, who could blame him for not telling anyone this. Both CC and his son's lived at the time of the Spanish Inquisition. You could die if you were Jewish and didn't 100% convert.

[kennedysingh]

I live in Jamaica and some years ago I saw a local documentry about our local Jews who made clames that Columbus was a Jew and one purpose of his voyage was to find countries to resettle Jews. I have visited the Jewish synagogue in Kingston (the capital) and the floor is covered with sand and I was told this is so to remind them of the Spanish Inquisition. From other local historical sores I learn that it was the Jews living in Jamaica piloted the English into Jamaica and organised the Spinish surrender and as a result the were allowed to live freely on the island. Their are many Jamaicans with Jewish ansecery but are not aware.

[heatherygraine]

I would compare him which another very mysterious character: Shakespeare. Both claimed this humble origin and I believe it is not true of either.

[christiansoldier]

I love historical mysteries like this.

[Ditka-]

Say what you want about Columbus, but it took some serious balls to sail thousands of miles into the abyss without knowing whether they would reach land

[monkeymonk]

I was taught in American jr high school 17 or 18 years ago that Christopher Columbus was from Portugal.
I had no idea that there was any other idea.
This to me is like finding out that Germans claim Joan of Arc was German.
It's weird.

[thepreacherxi]

It seems odd to me that the person in question i.e. Christopher Columbus does not want to reveal his identity even on his death bed but here are we are spent so many time, effort, and money to find it.

[tb]

Some of these comments just make me shake my head. But I am glad we have documentaries like this.

[richardsequeirateixeira]

It’s been said that he has been of Iberian origin more than Italian. Some say that his signature style was that of the contemporary style of the Catalans. As for Columbus being Portuguese, it is highly plausible since he did marry into the Portuguese family, the Perestrellos. The wife, was one of the comendadoras of a convent in Portugal.