Researchers in Spain said Tuesday that they’re certain bones found beneath a centuries-old convent are those of “Don Quixote” author Miguel de Cervantes, according to the city of Madrid and media accounts.
“The remains are in a bad state of conservation and do not allow us to do an individual identification of Miguel de Cervantes,” the BBC quoted forensic scientist Almudena Garcia Rubio as saying. “But we are sure what the historical sources say is the burial of Miguel de Cervantes and the other people buried with him is what we have found.”
In January, researchers reported the discovery of badly damaged bones and fragments of a wooden casket bearing the initials “M” and “C” in a crypt beneath the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians, according to media reports.
At the time, researchers said they couldn’t be sure the remains included those of Cervantes, who died in 1616 and is widely credited as one of the most influential authors in Western literature.
But on Tuesday, according to the city of Madrid’s Spanish-language Twitter account, researchers said there were “many coincidences and no discrepancy” about the authenticity of the remains.