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    Seville and Palos de la Frontera – Let’s Discover Columbus’ Footsteps



    Seville and Palos de la Frontera – Let’s Discover Columbus’ Footsteps

    From this area, Christopher Columbus
    set sail in 1492 with the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria. But where are we exactly? We’re in southern Spain, in the municipality of Palos de la Frontera, about 100 kilometers from Seville. Columbus set sail on his
    first of four voyages to the Americas around here. You can see full-scale
    replicas of his ships here. And understand how cramped it was
    on board during this long journeys into the unknown. His plan was to discover a new
    sea route to Asia, but as you know, that never happened. Let’s go back in time and
    follow his footsteps before going to the Americas. His legacy made history,
    was celebrated, but it was, and it is widely criticized. I’ll show you how important
    Seville was for Columbus’ travels. Where he was buried. And what the historical
    archives reveal about Columbus. We’ll also find out how his discovery
    of the Americas ushered in a new era. Our next stop is Seville, which played
    an important role in Columbus’ journeys. In the 15th century Seville was a wealthy city at the center of Spanish maritime trade. The riches were used to complete
    this magnificent cathedral in 1519, the largest Gothic church in Spain. There’s also a connection to Columbus. More on that later. No money, no journey.
    And that was his problem. So he tried hard to find
    supporters for his ideas. The royal palace of Sevilla,
    the Real Alcázar, played a key role. Columbus and Queen Isabella of
    Castile had many discussions here. Other royal houses in Europe
    had refused to fund his journeys, but Queen Isabella of
    Castile decided to support him. The medieval palace is worth a visit. It’s an amazing example of
    so-called Mudejar architecture: buildings constructed under
    Christian rule with Islamic influences. But, who was Columbus really? Some think he was a brave explorer. Others think he was a violent
    conqueror and pioneer of colonialism. I hope to find answers with an expert. Historian Esteban Mira Caballos
    has written a book about Columbus and his era. If you are following in Columbus’
    footsteps in Seville, you can’t miss this: a 45-meter-high bronze sculpture, officially called “The Birth of a New Man”. In Sevilla, we find several
    monuments of Columbus, like this one, known as the “Columbus Egg”. Meanwhile, in some countries in
    Latin America and even in North America, in the US, many Columbus
    monuments have been removed. Let’s see what people here think. To learn more about Columbus,
    the Navigator from Genova, Italy, I head to the Archivo General de Indias. It is the most important
    archive of Spanish colonial history. Both, the documents preserved
    here, and the building itself are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Americas were named
    after Amerigo Vespucci. Although Columbus was the first
    European to arrive in the Americas, it was Vespucci who realized
    these lands were not part of Asia. He also set out from Seville to discover what we know now as South America. Columbus and those who followed
    him were mainly interested in fame as well as power, valuable spices and gold. Columbus himself benefit little from his travels. He died in 1506, a year and a half
    after returning from his last trip. After his death, Columbus’
    remains continued traveling. Initially they were preserved in Spain, then taken to the Dominican Republic and Cuba. In 1898 his final resting place
    was here in the Cathedral of Sevilla. Like many buildings here in
    Seville, the cathedral reflects a mixture of cultures. It was built in the 15th century on
    the ruins of the Arab Mezquita Mayor from the 12th century. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sarcophagus of Columbus: For a long time there was a controversy over whether the remains were
    really those of Columbus. It wasn’t until 2006 that a
    DNA test confirmed it was him. And that’s a wrap of Sevilla. Whether intentionally or not,
    Christopher Columbus’ travels changed the world. What do you think about his legacy?

    Seville in Spain played an important role for Christopher Columbus and his journey that changed the world: He was looking for a way to Asia but found America. We’re following in his footsteps: from the majestic Seville Cathedral via the royal palace in Seville to an archive with original documents from the Columbus era. We also visit the place where he first set sail – Palos de las Frontera. And we ask: Who was Columbus – brave explorer or brutal conqueror?

    00:00 Palos de la Frontera
    00:51 Quick preview
    01:14 Seville and Seville Cathedral
    01:40 Alcázar of Seville palace
    02:22 Who was Christopher Columbus? Interview with historian Esteban Mira Caballos
    04:52 “Birth of a New Man” monument
    05:56 Archivo General de Indias
    08:24 Seville Cathedral – where Columbus was finally buries

    CREDITS:
    Report: Diana Piñeros, Andreas Kirchhoff
    Camera: Holm Weber
    Editing: Manuela Reuss
    Supervising editor: Christina Deicke
    ———————————————————————————————————————–
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    View 13 Comments

    13 Comments

    4. @Amir-ik2tg on

      Thank you! I enjoyed the presentation. I went to Seville last year and the city is definitely strongly influenced by its American legacy. I think that while many crimes were committed and continue to be committed in the name of progress and civilization, the importance of Columbus’s voyages cannot be underestimated. It brought about the birth of new peoples (e.g. the mestizo societies of Latin America) and also opened up new opportunities for cultural encounter. Many great people were tried and tested in the colonial societies such as Rose of Lima and Bartolomé de las Casas.

    6. @ShahiedLuddy-bq7fv on

      Why is this guy being so revered though, when we know he was a colonizer and probably genocider? We then also know from later research that he was not the first to "discover" americas, so why are we still entertaining the lies?

    7. @binEamin-s9x on

      Thanks a lot for the introduction about this historical fiction . Actually before I can did work among Singapore but I'm a struggler right now but my work among Saudi Arabia so soon then My every struggle will be gone I hope, Inshallah.

    13. @wilber2k06 on

      CORRECTION:

      –1536 – Maria de Toledo obtains the king's permission to bring Columbus's remains to Santo Domingo (present Dominican Republic)

      –1541/1542 – Remains brought to the island of Espanola/Santo Domingo (today the Dominican Republic) by Maria de Toledo along with the remains of her husband, Diego Columbus, son of Columbus. Columbus had expressed in his will in the Church of the Concepción (Spain) that he would be buried on the island Espanola/Santo Domingo. Columbus was the one who gave the city the name Santo Domingo, in honor of his father, Domenico Colón, when his father died in 1496. And from 1550, sailors and the people began to call the island of Espanola as Santo Domingo. In the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the main altar of the cathedral was granted to the Columbus family for all their descendants. And it was in that place that the remains of both (Christopher and Diego Columbus) were buried. Later, when their grandson, Luis Columbus, died, he was buried not far from the same place.

      –1586 – Invasion of Francis Drake (English pirate) on the island of Santo Domingo. Many atrocities were committed, especially against the people and symbols of Catholicism and the symbols of Spain, and this remained in the mark and memory of the inhabitants of Santo Domingo.

      –1655 – Invasion of Penn and Venable (English) with a huge army on the island of Santo Domingo. The bishop (Pio Rodrigues) determined that all traces of Columbus's remains be removed from his burial box in case the English took the city of Santo Domingo, that way THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO VULNERATE THE REMAINS OF COLUMBUS.

      –1783 – A Synod of Bishops was held in Santo Domingo, where it was written in commemoration that Columbus's remains were in a place in the Santo Domingo Cathedral, somewhere in the presbytery, but the location was unknown because much of the writing about the location of the remains had been lost due to the invasions and massacres of the two English invasions, and also to time.

      –1795 – Because of the Treaty of Basel, the Spanish commander of Cuba declared that the most distinguished Spanish man (Columbus’ remains) would not be allowed to fall to the French. He asked for permission and took the SUPPOSED remains of Columbus with great solemnity to Havana (Cuba). It should be clarified that the remains the commander took had NO NAME. But in the imagination of the people it stayed that Columbus's remains were taken. It should be added that the Spanish government notary at the time didn't dare say in writing that the remains taken belonged to Columbus because the box they found was rickety (completely broken) and the remains were scattered. And the same Spanish notary writes that they were THE REMAINS OF SOME DECEASED PERSON in the notarial deed.

      –1871 – It is said that the priest Carlos Rafael Nouel y Pierret had sent a report to Father Billini (in Santo Domingo now Dominican Republic) that the remains of Columbus NEVER left the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

      –1877 – On September 10, Father Billini, while remodeling the Cathedral of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), found a box with bones inside and the name "Christopher Columbus" inscribed on a silver plaque. While expanding the main altar, they found an urn with Gothic inscriptions. First, the tomb of the grandson, Luis Colon, appeared. Then, the tomb of Juan Sanchez Ramires (considered by some to be a founding father). Now, they found the empty tomb of Diego Colon (son, which must be the remains that were taken to Cuba). Then, they left the other tomb/urn in the same place without removing it, so Father Billini called all the authorities, including the Spanish consul (Echeverri?), the Italian consul, the English consul, and the United States consul, to serve as witnesses and verify that the name of Christopher Columbus, an illustrious admiral of the oceanic sea, was inscribed there. It must be said that the Spanish were the first to recognize that these were the remains of Columbus in that urn in the Santo Domingo Cathedral found by Father Billini. Furthermore, at the same time the Spanish Captain of Cuba sent Colonel Rodrigos de La Fuente, to do a literal report signed with the utmost impartiality, "…there is no doubt, in my humble opinion, about the authenticity of said remains…" It should be added that the same Spanish consul who certified the remains also protested to have the remains returned to Spain.

      –1898 – Cuban Independence – The alleged remains of Columbus were transferred from Cuba to Seville, Spain.

      –1992 – President Joaquín Balague of the Dominican Republic transferred Columbus's remains from the Cathedral of Santo Domingo to their new location at the Columbus Lighthouse monument in the most majestic/solemn manner possible.

      –2002/2005/2006 – Spain authorized DNA testing of the remains preserved in Seville and determined a possible match.

      –2024 – The University of Granada and researcher Antonio Lorente published a new investigation and a documentary called "Colon DNA." They definitively affirm that the remains in Seville are the authentic remains of Columbus. Now, they went to the press instead of going to scientific forums with their data, which is the normal way to be verified/discussed by other scientists, as is the usual scientific process. It should be clarified that years before, they had stated that they could not perform DNA testing on the remains in Spain due to their condition. They still haven’t said what new technologies they have used to change their previous opinion. It should be clarified that their investigation began with the question of the origin of Christopher Columbus, and along the way, they ended up saying that the remains are in Seville. But other voices in the forensic world in Spain have questioned the study.

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