Almost 400 years after storms sent one of Spain’s greatest treasure galleons to the bottom of the sea off Mexico , archaeologists from the two countries are to renew their search for the ship and its precious cargo of gold, silver and jewels.
Even before the tempests hit, the omens for the Nuestra Señora del Juncal’s return voyage in October 1631 were decidedly ill. A day before the fleet of which it was a part
set sail from Mexico, its commander died. The ships pressed on even though the Juncal
was in a poor state of repair and taking on water.
After weathering a fortnight’s storms, cutting the main mast and tossing cannons and
other heavy objects overboard in a desperate attempt to lighten the ship, the crew could
do no more. Of the 300 people onboard, 39 survived by climbing into a small launch.
In May, underwater archaeologists from Spain and Mexico will begin a 10-day search for the Juncal. It is hoped that the work will be just the beginning of a two-decade-long
scientific and cultural collaboration.
The joint project, which comes six years after Spain and Mexico signed a memorandum
of understanding over their shared underwater cultural heritage, aims not only to locate
and protect the Juncal but also to train a new generation of Latin American underwater
archaeologists.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/10/spain-and-mexico-renew-search-for-
17th-century-treasure-galleon