Christopher Columbus was Jewish, DNA experts concluded in a long-awaited investigation into the true origins of one of history’s most famous explorers.

Examinations of the bones of Columbus and of his son, Hernando, showed a Jewish origin, something the explorer concealed during a time in which Jews were being persecuted in Spain and other parts of Europe, researchers said.

“Both in the ‘Y’ chromosome and in the mitochondrial chromosome of Hernando, there are traits compatible with Jewish origins,” Antonio Lorente, professor of legal and forensic medicine at the University of Granada.

The discovery was the culmination of two decades of research led by Prof Lorente, presented in a prime-time Spanish television documentary on Saturday night to coincide with Spain’s national day.

The findings challenge the theory that Columbus was an Italian sailor from Genoa, as textbooks have stated for centuries. They also claim to settle a dispute over Columbus’s final resting place.

Prof Lorente said the DNA showed a “western Mediterranean” origin, but he could not state categorically which country or region.