“Columbus Secrets from the grave” Review by Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor

Appraisal and critic -- of the documentary “ Columbus – Secrets from the grave” 
shown  nationwide  by “The Discovery Channel”, world premiere,  on August 1, 2004.

Within a space of four weeks another major TV documentary on Columbus had a world premiere on the American national television.   The TV producers want to have their world premiere here in America because they have a better chance of recovering their expense and even of making a profit.

The Italian theory is destroyed

Professor Charles Merrill of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary  on this TV documentary gave a complete knockout  to the Genovese theory!  This was very good!  For the past fifteen years I have been writing in monographs, magazine and newspaper articles, and stating on radio and TV programs that  the Italian theory has been based only on  false documents!  I am glad the same conclusion was accomplished by this documentary for the world to see.  

Very weak Catalan theory

The Professor Merrill’s speculation that the navigator was born “somewhere in Catalonia ”, Spain , is very weak indeed.  He could not find any records that Columbus was born anywhere within Catalonia region, nor find any member of his family. He thinks he found a very strong point by analyzing Columbus letters   which might have some words that were typical of the language used  500 years ago in Catalonia .  Professor Merrill does not know that several Spanish historians have proven that Columbus ’ letters and writings in Spanish are loaded with Portuguese expressions.  

Some people even go as far as to say that Colombo’s Spanish is like poorly written Portuguese…What Professor Merrill did by searching the influence of Catalan language, he should do a similar research regarding the old Portuguese influence in the Columbus writings, if  he really is interested in finding the truth about the differential diagnosis  where Columbus was born! 

Serious Scientific research

I admire Professor José A. Lorente, of Granada University, and his team for their perseverance and painstaking in trying every possible technique  to extract  the Columbus DNA  from the small bones in the mausoleum in the Cathedral of Seville.  

However,  Dr. Lorente  WAS NOT ABLE TO GET ANY DNA FROM THE  COLON'S BONES THAT  HAD BEEN PRESERVED IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE!  He is saving some of the small bones until new techniques are developed to extract the DNA from them. 

As part of  their studies, on the other hand,  they obtained a very important finding: the DNA  -- thru  Y chromosome – of  Columbus ’s son,  Fernando. Now this unique DNA characteristic of  Columbus family can be compared with the DNA of living persons who are descendents of the famous navigator.  [ Let us note that Fernando is the second son of Colon and the mother was his mistress was Beatriz Enriquez de Harana ]. 

The scientists should obtain also the DNA of Columbus’s brother Diego, as a counter proof with his son’s DNA.  Then we would  have  the son’s and  the brother’s DNA to compare with any other DNA that we want to confirm  as genetically related with Columbus true identity, such as the Count de Verágua, of Madrid,  etc. 

President of San Domingos

I think the time as come to ask the President of the Dominican Republic to give permission for the  DNA studies  to be done in the bones that still  exist  in the mausoleum in the  Cathedral of San Domingos, to see if there is a  match with  the DNA of Columbus’  son Fernando.

The true documents were not shown

Professor Charles Merrill being one of the protagonists of this documentary deserves the credit for shaking up the orthodox historians that prefer to keep the status quo about the identity of Columbus .  This program reopened the debate concerning the identity of Columbus and therefore new theories should be  welcomed to come forward.

The producers of  “ Columbus – Secrets from the grave” --  depended very much in   circumstantial evidence, instead  of  truthful  documents.

In the entire  program there was  no mention whatsoever, nor any analysis of,  the following  true and coeval documents:

(1) The two Papal Bulls  by Alexander VI,  of 1493, which  are the Vatican ,  and  both contain the Portuguese name Cristofõm Colon.

(2) The navigator’s unique Sigla

(3) His Monogram

(4) His Blessing on his last twelve letters to his son Fernando

(5) His Coat of arms

(6) The 40 Portuguese toponyns  (place names)  in the Caribbean   islands  after the 4 voyages.

Also confirmed as historical  fact:  Columbus on the return from his first trip stopped at  the Island of Santa Maria ,   in the Azores (February 14, 1493) and  then continued  directly  to Lisbon to give a  report of  his first  voyage  to the  Portuguese King John II. (March 4, 1493). He spent 9 days in Portugal .  Only then he continued his trip to Spain .  Why did he report first to the Portuguese king?

Conclusion

Too bad the Portuguese theory was omitted completely on this documentary. May be this is  a good omen, so in the near future,  another documentary can be done by another team of TV experts to show  to the world  that when it comes to the world discoveries the Portuguese were the world champions, and Columbus was one of them,  because he was one hundred per cent  Portuguese!

See my website for detailed articles on this subject   http://www.dightonrock.com   

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