FIRST GENETIC RESULTS ON DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS POINT TO PEDRO ÁLVAREZ DE SOTOMAYOR,

FIRST GENETIC RESULTS ON DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS POINT TO PEDRO ÁLVAREZ DE SOTOMAYOR, A GALICIAN
NOBLEMAN DESCENDED FROM KING EDWARD III OF ENGLAND.
THE GENETIC INFORMATION OBTAINED IS THE MOST COMPLETE IN
CENTURIES-OLD DNA SAMPLES.
An independant, unsubsidized project, with scientific support from the CAI Department of
Earth Sciences and Archaeometry of the Complutense University of Madrid, has analyzed
several close descendants od Christopher Columbus deposited in their family pantheon
located in the crypt of the church of Santa María de Gracia in the municipality of Gelves
(Seville)
This independent and interdisciplinary scientific study was conceived as a result of a previous
research conducted by the promoter Carmen García, which given her training and experience,
was carried out from a legal point of view.
The beginnings of it back to 2015 and its conclusions led her to defend Pedro Álvarez de
Sotomayor, a Galician nobleman directly descended from king Edward III of England as the
man behind the alias of Christopher Columbus. Once she was certain that all the data
indicated that this historical character was the one who had the best documented evidence for
his identification as “The Admiral”, she organizaded an interdisciplinary scientific project
that obtained the necessary permits for the exhumation of two sarcophagi of the direct and
closest family of Pedro Álvarez de Sotomayor in the Convent of Santo Domingo de Tui
(Pontevedra, Galicia) in September 2021.
Subsequently, she set out on the path of organizing and obtaining all the necessary permits
to exhume the remains of the granddaugther of Christopher Columbus and her closest
descendants in March 2022.
This investigation has managed to obtain the following expert evidence: recording of
archaeological work with the intervention of a notary public, osteology study, 3D scanning,
dating by carbon 14, stable isotope analysis of nitrogen, oxygen and strontium and several
genetic analysis of her skeletal remains and the others closest descendants of Christopher
Columbus with the assurance of the chain of custody of the bone samples.
This is the first genetic research to obtain genetic markers of the discoverer of America
studying his descendants and the most complete DNA profile of direct descendants including
autosomal STRS and flanking regions (Gene sequences longer than SNPs). Genetic analyses
have were performed by an ILAC (1725 ISO) accredited laboratory (International
accreditation). These are results obtained with analyses approved by forensic genetics for the
first time and serve to establish kinship scientifically certain with the candidates to be
identified as Christopher Columbus.

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The genetic data obtained from Christopher ́s direct descendants and other genetic data
collected during the course of this investigation have yielded relevant matches that indicate
that Pedro Álvarez de Sotomayor is the best positioned to be identified as Christopher
columbus.
All test were carried out with acreditation and maximum scientific rigor and legal validity.
A review of these test by a geneticist of international prestige, non-Sapnish will also be
presented.
In addition, during the course of this project genetic information has been obtained relating
to three candidates for identification with Christopher Columbus including Pedro Álvarez de
Sotomayor.
Links to Complementary Information:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WKEqLn-8zDU
https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2022/06/26/62b5935ffdddff2b6c8b45a3.html
https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2021/09/18/6144cdcae4d4d8a2398b459a.html