18th-Century Spanish sнιᴘwʀᴇcκ Has $17 ʙιʟʟιoɴ Worth of Coins And Gems Aboard - Media News 48

18th-Century Spanish sнιᴘwʀᴇcκ Has $17 ʙιʟʟιoɴ Worth of Coins And Gems Aboard

 

The Colombian army released images of one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks, the location of which was unknown for nearly three centuries.

Spain’s San Jose galleon was loaded with a vast cargo of treasure when it was sunk by British navy ships in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession.

The ship, a 64-gun galleon with around 600 people on board, is believed to have been carrying at least 200 tons of treasure, including gold coins, silver coins, and emeralds, worth an estimated up to $17 billion at today’s prices.

The wreck often called “the holy grail of shipwrecks,” was found by Colombian naval officials off the coast of Cartagena in 2015, but its precise location has been kept a secret.

Colombian President Iván Duque released previously unseen footage and images of the wreck in a press conference on June 6.

The images revealed many newly discovered treasures, including Chinese ceramics, gold coins, swords, and cannons.

“The idea is to recover it and to have sustainable financing mechanisms for future extractions,” Duque said in the press conference. “In this way, we protect the treasure, the patrimony of the San Jose galleon.”

Authorities said that the video and images were taken by remotely operated state-of-the-art equipment that descended around 3,280 feet to explore the wreckage’s nooks and crannies.

Inscriptions on the cannons revealed they had been manufactured in 1655 in Seville and Cádiz in Spain, the Colombian navy’s maritime director-general Admiral José Joaquín Amézquita, said in a statement.

He also noted the discovery of gold coins, or macuquinas, with coinage typical of the time.

Duque also said that monitoring of the wreck led to the discovery of two more shipwrecks nearby, a colonial boat and a schooner thought to be from the 1800s.

The San Jose wreck has been the subject of an ongoing legal battle since its discovery, as reported by The Economist.

Colombia has claimed the wreck and its contents as its own, with former President Juan Manuel Santos signing the Submerged Cultural Heritage Law in 2013, which says artifacts recovered in Colombian waters belong to the state.

However, Spain has also staked a claim, noting that the ship was theirs and citing UNESCO’s convention on underwater cultural heritage.

To further complicate matters, many of the valuables on the ship were likely to have been plundered from South American countries, some of whom might also claim a right to some of the treasure.

Related Posts

Gigantic Discovery: Construction Crew Unearths Massive Remains of a 10,000-Year-Old Tusked Creature in Mexico

In a tһгіɩɩіпɡ twist of fate for archaeologists in Mexico, construction workers have ѕtᴜmЬɩed upon a ѕeпѕаtіoпаɩ discovery – the сoɩoѕѕаɩ of a tusked Ьeаѕt harkening back…

Paleontologist Unearths Exceptional More Than 180-Million-Year-Old Fossil in Yorkshire, Revolutionizing Prehistoric Era Studies

The Yorkshire Coast boasts a treasure trove of pebbles and rocks, each showcasing signs of a rich history dating back millions of years. Recently, TikTok sensation Liam…

Discovered a new ѕрeсіeѕ of dinosaur with a giant thigh bone taller than an adult kcs

In a tһгіɩɩіпɡ paleontological Ьгeаktһгoᴜɡһ, researchers have uncovered the foѕѕіɩѕ of a previously unknown dinosaur ѕрeсіeѕ, and its distinguishing feature is nothing short of awe-inspiring—a сoɩoѕѕаɩ thigh…

Enigma in the Depths: mуѕteгіoᴜѕ ѕkeɩetoп Discovered in Untouched Cave, Dubbed the ‘Center of the eагtһ kcs

In a remote and inaccessible cave, aptly nicknamed the ‘Center of the eагtһ,’ an enigma of the ages was unveiled as an intrepid group of spelunkers made…

Unveiling the Past: Discovery of 70-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Eggs in Argentina

In a tһгіɩɩіпɡ discovery, Argentine scientists have ᴜпeагtһed a remarkable treasure trove of fossilized dinosaur eggs containing extraordinarily well-preserved embryos dating back approximately 70 million years. This…

Stunning Discovery: World’s Largest Triceratops Skull Unveils Battle Scars, Exposing Puncture Wound from Rival’s Horns in Recent Research

The world’s biggest triceratops had a “combat wound” in its skull inflicted by the three-foot-long horns of a rival, new research reveals. The dinosaur—nicknamed “Big John”—is believed…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *