SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, May 13 (UPI) -- Efforts to confirm that the remains in the Dominican Republic's most famous tomb are those of Christopher Columbus have stalled.
Two years ago, the Spanish government asked for permission to examine the remains, but the response has been vague and sometimes contradictory, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
There is a suspicion Dominican officials don't want to jeopardize a huge lighthouse mausoleum that is providing the nation with a tourist attraction.
Previous attempts at making a DNA match between the remains and the remains of Columbus' brother Diego have been inconclusive.
Columbus died in Spain and was buried there despite his wishes to be interred in Hispaniola, the island where the Dominican Republic is located. His wife subsequently moved the remains back to Hispaniola.
Because of political and military developments, remains were later moved to Cuba and then back to Spain.
But in 1877 a metal trunk was found hidden behind a wall of a cathedral contained the remains of a tall man and an inscription saying they were those of Christopher Columbus, who discovered America.
