[MR] BBC: Christopher Columbus Redux

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

It has been a slow news week, both in history and in archaeology. Today a
2020 video clip popped up again on the BBC concerning claims that
Christopher Columbus was actually a Portuguese noble "gone bad", Pedro
Ataíde. Fernando Branco, a Portuguese engineering professor and amateur
historian makes a convincing case for Columbus actually being from the
Ataíde family, citing in a book more than 60 points in favor of the match.

Could it be true?. Maybe so. Maybe not. DNA testing could prove his case,
and the clip mentions that Columbus' DNA was being sequenced in Spain at
the time of filming. DNA from the Ataíde family is potentially available
for matching.

If you missed this clip last year, it is worth seven minutes of your time,
if only for views of a magnificent medieval church and the Ataíde estate:
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p08jgfdg/the-truth-about-christopher-columbus?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=exchange&tblci=GiCyx9y0uWj_SK7STCT524FWArS20OH49GHMUCPTyGtrQiCMjFQoq6_p9Ine-v8v#tblciGiCyx9y0uWj_SK7STCT524FWArS20OH49GHMUCPTyGtrQiCMjFQoq6_p9Ine-v8v
.

An article from the May 19, 2021 GUARDIAN newspaper shows the story is not
over yet, as there are both technical and political difficulties proving
the explorer's origin:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/19/dna-study-sets-out-to-establish-true-origins-of-christopher-columbus
.

According to an NBC story out of Boston, the results are due to be
announced this October. Stay tuned for a bombshell, or maybe a fizzle.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆