The Colombian government has launched an expedition to find the San Jose galleon, a legendary Spanish ship that sank in 1708 and contained $20 billion worth of gold, silver and emeralds.
According to historical records, the ship was carrying more than 100 steel chests full of emeralds and millions of gold and silver coins collected from Spanish colonies in South America. In 1698, en route from the New World to the court of King Philip V of Spain, it sank in a battle off Barú Island, south of Cartagena.
New technology will be used to explore the water around the shipwreck discovered by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2015. Researchers will use sea depth analysis and soil studies of the ocean bed to determine the best ways to extract the galleon’s contents.
The government plans to extract some of the treasure from the surface of the sunken ship with underwater robot technology between April and May. The expedition is expected to cost about 4.5 million dollars in 2024.
The government is keeping the location of the expedition secret to deter amateur treasure hunters.
Exploration May Reveal Ship’s Other Treasure Compartments
The discovery can also help determine the condition of the treasure in other parts of the ship once it is out of the water. This will play an important role in determining the value of the treasure and its state of preservation.
Controversy over Treasury Ownership
The discovery of the ship has also sparked a dispute over the ownership of the treasure. Spain claims that the loot belongs to them, while Bolivia insists that the treasures belong to the indigenous Qhara Qhara nation, who were forced by Spanish colonizers to mine for precious metals.
Colombian Government Wants Treasury to Stay in the Country
Colombian President Gustavo Petro wants to use the government’s own resources to salvage the wreck and keep it in the country. Officials said the expedition was planned more for cultural reasons than to discover sunken treasure, and the main goal was to understand the lives of the hundreds of people who lived on the ship before it sank.
Minister of Culture “The Real Treasure is History”
“The real treasure is history,” Colombian Culture Minister Juan David Correa told the Associated Press. He emphasized that the discovery is of historic importance for Colombia and the world and that the story of the ship and its contents will contribute to the common heritage of humanity.
Additional Information
- The expedition is expected to be completed in 2024 and the treasure presented to the public in 2025.
- The Colombian government plans to display some of the treasure in museums and use the rest to preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
- The expedition will also help Colombia gain new insights into its maritime history in the Caribbean.
source link
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/topics/c404v5gz1rkt
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/12/colombia-deforestation-amazon-rainforest-peace
