The 'Holy Grail of Shipwrecks' at 600 Meters

Investigative dossier on the 600-meter robotic expedition to the San José Galleon in the Colombian Caribbean, the Antiquity study on 1707 macuquina coins, and the recovery of the first bronze cannon, coins, and Kangxi porcelain. Swipe to see →

AT 600 METERS DEPTH IN THE ICY DARKNESS

Documentary illustrative recreation based on oceanographic and photogrammetric records from the Colombian Navy, ICANH, and the study published in the journal Antiquity: at 600 meters depth in the Caribbean Sea, the floodlights and stereo.

THE DAY THE SEA SWALLOWED AN EMPIRE

To understand why the San José holds the title of the greatest sunken treasure in human history, one must return to dusk on June 8, 1708, at the height of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714).

THE ROBOTIC EYE IN THE ABYSS

For more than three centuries, the exact resting place of the San José remained shielded by the crushing hydrostatic pressure of 60 atmospheres that prevails 600 meters beneath the surface of the Caribbean, far beyond the reach of human divers.

THE 1707 FINGERPRINT

On the bottom row above the waves stood the unmistakable number "707", the colonial numismatic abbreviation for the year 1707.

THE PHYSICAL RECOVERY AT 600 METERS

The largest and most imposing object hoisted from the depths of the Caribbean was a solid bronze naval cannon weighing more than two tons, belonging to the main gun battery of the San José.

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