The debate over the origins of Christopher Columbus rumbles on but it appears that in Washington, President Trump’s Republican Party is convinced he was Italian - not Mallorcan. Christopher Columbus was not Genoese, he was of noble descent and his origins lie in an enclave of the Crown of Aragon in 1492 where neither Castilian nor Italian was the dominant language, i.e. the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia or the Kingdom of Mallorca, according to research published on Wednesday.
The book “The Origin of Columbus Beyond DNA: A Critical Analysis of the Genoese Thesis in Light of Fifteen Historical Facts”, written by Carlos García-Delgado with the support of the Madina Mayurqa Foundation and the Christopher Columbus Cultural Association, leans towards the Mallorcan thesis. ‘It is the most likely and the one with the most evidence in its favour,’ according to the author, who presented his work this afternoon in Madrid accompanied by Pablo Carrington, vice-president of the foundation dedicated to protecting Mallorcan heritage, and Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal, Duke of Veragua and direct descendant of the discoverer.
Based on the data researched, García-Delgado, a doctor of industrial engineering and expert in architecture and urban planning, invites the reader to review fifteen ‘proven facts’ that are incompatible with the most widely accepted theory about the origin of Christopher Columbus, who was Genoese. He refers to the treatment of ‘don’ that the Catholic Monarchs gave to Columbus, something ‘strictly reserved for the nobility,’ or to the ‘Capitulations of Santa Fe,’ the contract that the Catholic Monarchs signed with Columbus for the expedition of discovery, where they named him admiral, governor-general and viceroy, positions reserved for the high nobility.
‘It is hardly credible to think that such titles could be granted to the son of a Genoese wool merchant or tavern keeper who had not yet discovered anything, as the “Genoese theory” suggests,’ said the author. He also stressed that ‘there are no scientific arguments’ to support the hypothesis of Columbus’ Genoese origin. ‘On the other hand, there is evidence that Columbus could not have been the son of a Genoese wool merchant.’
In October 2024, another study was published by José Antonio Lorente, a forensic scientist and professor of legal medicine at the University of Granada, based on genetic tests carried out on the bones of the discoverer of America, according to which Columbus was a Spanish Sephardic Jew, and not Genoese or Italian. That research also placed his birth in the Mediterranean arc or Balearic Islands, which belonged to the Spanish Crown of Aragon.
However, in Washinton and The White House, opinions differ. President Donald Trump is taking steps toward installing near the White House a replica of a statue of famed explorer Christopher Columbus that had been tossed into Baltimore’s harbor during his first term amid protests against institutional racism. John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organisations United, said his group owns the statue and agreed to loan it to the federal government for placement at or near the White House.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” said Trump spokesman David Ingle. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.” For Pica and his group, the statue’s Washington placement would celebrate a famous Italian who holds iconic status among Italian Americans. For Trump, it would be another move to reshape the telling of U.S. history as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.