Shipwreck mystery: Colombia finds biggest sunken treasure ever
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia announced Saturday that the Spanish galleon San Jose, sunk 307 years ago in the Caribbean, has finally been found.
In 1708, while carrying , including gold, silver, and jewlery, from the South American colonies to the Spanish king, the San Jose was attacked by a British war ship during the War of Spanish Succession. Britain sunk the San Jose outside the Colombian city of Cartagena, killing all 600 people on board, because the valuables were traveling to Spain to fund the war.
鈥淭he galleons were ,鈥� explains the Sea Search Armada (SSA), a group of US investors focused on marine salvaging.聽聽
President Santos said the find 鈥渃onstitutes one of the greatest 鈥� if not the biggest, as some say 鈥� in the history of mankind.鈥�
Santos says the ship鈥檚 buried treasure will be put on display in a museum to be built in Cartagena.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge feeling,鈥� an unidentified crew member said in a video tweeted by President Santos Saturday. 鈥淭his is , a lot of work at that and a collaborative effort that has finally come to light, and there鈥檒l be much work ahead of us, but this was a huge triumph.鈥�
But instead of historic analysis and awe, valuables from the San Jose will be welcomed from the sea amid a tense international legal battle. As the crew member suggests, the findings Saturday will likely intensify an already heated dispute between Colombia and the United States.聽
SSA claims it found the underwater site of San Jose in 1981, and the Colombian government has since tried 鈥渢o illegally confiscate SSA鈥檚 finds.鈥� The US company has since filed suits in both the US and Colombia, and while SSA claims it won a Colombian Supreme Court verdict that Colombia Cultural Minister聽Mariana Garc茅s C贸rdoba said at a press conference Saturday that all court rulings 鈥� in both countries 鈥� have favored the Colombian government.聽
The fight over San Jose鈥檚 sunken treasure is one of many international disagreements regarding the home of ancient artifacts.
Although 鈥淸m]ost Western museums for returning objects,鈥� art repatriation across the world is often reflects international comparisons of affluence, The New York Times explains. Referencing similar disagreements between the US and countries such as Greece, Italy, or Peru, the article suggests that 鈥淪ome repatriation cases underscore countries rather than simply reclaiming past glory.鈥�
Researchers with the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH) say they are still in the early phases of uncovering the hidden treasure. But regardless of how much work is left for Colombian researchers, SSA says they would be no where without the US agency鈥檚 help.
The Colombian government, however, says they located the ship in a place 鈥渘ever before referred to by previous studies,鈥� and the wreckage 鈥� no matter how valuable 鈥� belongs in Cartagena.聽
