Bones of Don Quixote writer Miguel de Cervantes likely found in Spain, say scientists

Miguel de Cervantes's tomb has likely been found in a Madrid convent, scientists announced Tuesday, solving the 400-year-old mystery of the whereabouts the Spanish literary giant's remains.

In January, archaeologists searching in the Spanish capital's Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians found wooden fragments of a casket in the crypt bearing the initials of the famed Don Quixote author.

At a news conference Tuesday, forensic anthropologists said they believe the human remains found inside belong to Cervantes, his wife, and as many as 13 others, but they can't say for sure.

Scientists said they would try to extract DNA profiles from the bones found, but were not sure if this would be possible. 

"The remains are in a bad state of conservation and do not allow us to do an individual identification of Miguel de Cervantes," said forensic scientist Almudena Garcia Rubio, reported the BBC.

Investigators believed they had solid clues to work with in the probe. Cervantes died at age 69 and wrote that he only had six teeth in the end.

"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," said Rubio.

Father of the modern novel

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha writer, who is credited as being the father of the modern novel, will be reburied in the crypt once the tomb is rebuilt, said investigators. It was Cervantes's desire to be buried in the convent whose religious order helped pay his ransom when he was kidnapped by pirates and held in Algiers. 

The restored crypt will be opened to the public for the first time next year to coincide with celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of Cervantes's death.

Born in 1547 in Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid, Cervantes studied philosophy and literature before joining the Spanish forces in Italy.

In 1571, the writer was wounded in the Battle of Lepanto, which pitted Ottoman Turkish forces against the Holy League, led by Spain. Aboard the ship La Marquesa, Cervantes was hit with three musket shots, two in the chest and one in his hand.

He spent several months in a hospital in Sicily, but managed to recover. He went on to publish the first part of Don Quixote in 1605. The book was an immediate success.

Translated into more than 60 languages, it is widely considered one of the world's bestselling novels of all time.