Faro a Colon: The Columbus Lighthouse

In Santo Domingo Este of Dominican Republic , is a towering monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus. It’s called “Faro a Colon” , which is Castilian for “Columbus Lighthouse” , then named because of its powerful lighting organisation consisting upward nearly 150 searchlight beams that projection a gigantic cross inwards the sky. The beams are then powerful that they tin hold upward seen equally far away equally Puerto Rico. Unfortunately , when the 70-kilowatt beams are turned on it causes a ability blackout inwards the immediate neighborhood , which is why they are rarely switched on.

There is approximately other matter that makes Faro a Colon a particular attraction: it is purported to comprise the remains of Christopher Columbus , a claim that is , all the same , challenged past times the Cathedral of Seville , inwards Spain.

faro-a-colon-3

Photo credit: Nicolás Lope de Barrios/Flickr

Christopher Columbus died on May twenty , 1506 , inwards Valladolid , Spain. He was originally buried inwards a pocket-sized monastery at Valladolid , simply iii years afterward was moved to the monastery of La Cartuja inwards Seville past times the volition of his boy Diego Colón. In 1542 , he was dug upward i time to a greater extent than in addition to transferred to Santo Domingo , inwards the present-day Dominican Republic , this fourth dimension past times the social club of his widow then equally to fulfill the wishes of the explorer that he hold upward buried inwards “the province he loved most”. But Columbus was non destined to residue at that topographic point forever.

Some 2 hundred 50 years afterward , inwards 1795 , French Republic ousted the Castilian in addition to took command over the entire isle of Hispaniola , which today comprises the Dominican Republic in addition to Haiti. When the Spaniards left , they took Columbus's remains alongside them to Havana , Cuba. After Republic of Cuba became independent next the Spanish–American War inwards 1898 , the remains were moved dorsum to Kingdom of Spain , to the Cathedral of Seville.

But dorsum inwards Santo Domingo , structure workers dug upward a atomic number 82 box bearing the inscription , "Illustrious in addition to distinguished manly somebody , don Cristobal Colon ," which is Castilian for Christopher Columbus. Inside the box were approximately os fragments.

Dominicans claim that the Spaniards took the incorrect trunk dorsum inwards 1795 , simply deoxyribonucleic acid comparing of samples recovered from the trunk inwards Seville alongside that of Columbus's blood brother , Diego , who is also buried inwards Seville , seems to indicate that Kingdom of Spain does convey the correct body.

Researchers convey been trying for years to convince the Dominican Republic to lend samples of the remains inwards their possession for deoxyribonucleic acid analysis , then that the mystery surrounding Christopher Columbus' burial house tin hold upward set to residue , simply the Dominicans would non let the remains to hold upward tested.

So who has the correct body? It’s difficult to say. Columbus’ bones convey been moved then many times that at that topographic point is genuine doubtfulness equally to where they convey ended up. There is also the possibility that they mightiness convey genuinely divided betwixt Kingdom of Spain in addition to the Dominican Republic , which agency that the explorer rests inwards both countries.

faro-a-colon-1