The sunken Spanish galleon San José has unveiled its first treasures more than three centuries after it was lost off the coast of Colombia.
The Colombian government revealed three gold coins, a cannon, and a porcelain cup retrieved during preliminary salvage operations.
According to Alhena Caicedo, director of Colombia’s Institute of Anthropology and History, the recovery is part of an initial study to understand how the artefacts might react to exposure to oxygen.
San José, one of the largest galleons in the Spanish fleet, was sunk by the British navy in 1708 near the Rosario Islands, off Colombia.
The ship had been transporting gold, silver, and gemstones from the Spanish colonies in the Americas to Spain when it sank.
The exact location of the wreck, which rests around 1,000 metres below the ocean’s surface, is being kept confidential to prevent looting.
Several countries, including Spain and Bolivia, have laid claim to the vessel and its cargo, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
