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| Remains in Madrid Are Believed to Be Those of Cervantes | Remains in Madrid Are Believed to Be Those of Cervantes |
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| LONDON — In a discovery that could create a new venue for literary pilgrims, Spanish investigators said on Tuesday that they may have located part of the remains of Cervantes, whose novel “Don Quixote” has enthralled readers over centuries with stories of its eponymous knight and his servant, Sancho Panza. | LONDON — In a discovery that could create a new venue for literary pilgrims, Spanish investigators said on Tuesday that they may have located part of the remains of Cervantes, whose novel “Don Quixote” has enthralled readers over centuries with stories of its eponymous knight and his servant, Sancho Panza. |
| Cervantes, often lauded as having written the first modern novel, died in 1616 after requesting burial in a convent in Madrid where, for almost a year, investigators have been searching the subsoil for bones that they now believe to include some of the author’s. | Cervantes, often lauded as having written the first modern novel, died in 1616 after requesting burial in a convent in Madrid where, for almost a year, investigators have been searching the subsoil for bones that they now believe to include some of the author’s. |
| “Everything coincides to lead us to believe that Cervantes is there,” a forensics expert, Francisco Etxeberria, said at a news conference in Madrid, Reuters reported. | “Everything coincides to lead us to believe that Cervantes is there,” a forensics expert, Francisco Etxeberria, said at a news conference in Madrid, Reuters reported. |
| The investigators cautioned, however, that it may be impossible to guarantee that the bones are those of the writer. Almudena García-Rubio, an archaeologist, said that there was “no confirmed genetic identification,” although DNA tests were being performed. | The investigators cautioned, however, that it may be impossible to guarantee that the bones are those of the writer. Almudena García-Rubio, an archaeologist, said that there was “no confirmed genetic identification,” although DNA tests were being performed. |
| During their excavations, the investigators found decayed wood from a coffin with the letters M and C marked out in tacks. (Cervantes’s given name was Miguel.) The discovery of the coffin was initially announced in January. | During their excavations, the investigators found decayed wood from a coffin with the letters M and C marked out in tacks. (Cervantes’s given name was Miguel.) The discovery of the coffin was initially announced in January. |
| The whereabouts of Cervantes’s tomb had been a mystery since the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians was rebuilt in the late 17th century. Mr. Etxeberria said the fragments had been “discovered in the ground of the crypt of the current church,” Agence France-Presse reported. | |
| The team of investigators used infrared cameras, 3-D scanners and radar to identify 33 alcoves where bones could be stored, the agency said. | The team of investigators used infrared cameras, 3-D scanners and radar to identify 33 alcoves where bones could be stored, the agency said. |
| Cervantes is most often remembered for “Don Quixote,” which gave the world the word quixotic in acknowledgment of its central character and his adventures, including his joust with windmills. The expression “tilting at windmills” also denotes people who take on imaginary adversaries. | Cervantes is most often remembered for “Don Quixote,” which gave the world the word quixotic in acknowledgment of its central character and his adventures, including his joust with windmills. The expression “tilting at windmills” also denotes people who take on imaginary adversaries. |