Colombian officials have revealed the first artifacts recovered from the 300-year-old galleon San José: three coins, a cannon and a porcelain cup. The wreck, found in 2015 and sunk off Cartagena in June 1708, is believed to have carried chests of emeralds and roughly 200 tons of gold. Colombia emphasizes scientific and cultural study of the site while Spain, Indigenous Qhara Qhara communities and a U.S. salvage firm contest ownership.
Colombia Reveals First Artifacts from 300‑Year‑Old Galleon San José
Colombian officials have revealed the first artifacts recovered from the 300-year-old galleon San José: three coins, a cannon and a porcelain cup. The wreck, found in 2015 and sunk off Cartagena in June 1708, is believed to have carried chests of emeralds and roughly 200 tons of gold. Colombia emphasizes scientific and cultural study of the site while Spain, Indigenous Qhara Qhara communities and a U.S. salvage firm contest ownership.
06:49 AM, 11/21/2025Culture
Colombian authorities on Thursday unveiled the first artifacts recovered from the Spanish galleon San José, which sank off the coast of Cartagena about 300 years ago. Divers and conservation teams recovered three coins (gold and bronze), a cast-iron cannon and a porcelain cup — the initial finds raised from the wreck site a decade after the ship was located.
What happened to the San José
The San José, owned by the Spanish crown, went down in June 1708 while returning from Panama to the court of King Philip V. Of roughly 600 people aboard, only a handful survived. Contemporary British records describe an "internal explosion," while Spanish accounts attribute the loss to enemy action during a battle.
Cargo, value and cultural stakes
At the time it sank the ship was reputedly laden with chests of emeralds and an estimated 200 tons of gold coins. Deep-sea cameras have already documented anchors and cargo such as jugs and glass bottles, cast-iron cannons, porcelain fragments, pottery and objects that appear to be made of gold.
Scientific work and conservation
Investigators also recovered samples of sediment that accumulated inside the wreck over the centuries. "These samples will be analyzed to better understand the causes of the shipwreck," said Alhena Caicedo, director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH). Colombian officials emphasize that study, conservation and public access to cultural heritage are central goals.
Competing claims and legal dispute
The wreck remains at the center of competing claims. Spain has asserted a claim under a United Nations convention to which Colombia is not a party. Indigenous Qhara Qhara communities in Bolivia contend that some of the riches aboard were taken from them during the colonial period. A U.S.-based salvage company, Sea Search Armada, says it located the site more than 40 years ago and has launched arbitration at the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration seeking $10 billion in damages.
Colombian authorities say they will continue careful archaeological work and conservation efforts while legal and diplomatic disputes proceed. The artifacts already recovered will undergo restoration and study before any public display.